B    M    1D5    3bl 


HORSE  AND  YOUTH  WENT  PLUNGING  HEADLONG. 


<_. 

'    VYI  e  M  €.  IT" 

7 
Three  Young    Ranchmen 

Or 

Daring  Adventures  in  the 
Great  West 


By 

Captain   Ralph    Bonehill 

Author  of 

"A  Sailor  Boy  with  Dewey,"  "For 

the  Liberty  of  Texas,"  "  The 

Young  Bandmaster,"  etc. 


Illustrated 


New  York  and  Boston 
H.  M.  Caldwell  Company 

Publishers 


Copyright,  1901 
BY  THE  SAALFIELD  PUBLISHING  COMPANY 


fw 


PREFACE 


^ripHREE  YOUNG  RANCHMEN"  relates  the  ad- 
1  ventures  of  three  brothers,  Allen,  Chet- 
wood  and  Paul  Winthrop,  who  are  left  to  shift 
for  themselves  upon  a  lonely  ranch  home  situated 
in  the  mountainous  region  of  the  beautiful  State 
of  Idaho,  near  one  of  the  numerous  branches  of 
the  Salmon  River. 

The  lads,  although  sturdy  and  brave,  have  no 
easy  time  making  a  living,  and  among  other 
troubles,  they  are  visited  by  horse  thieves,  and 
also  by  a  crafty  prospector  who  wishes  to  take 
their  claim  away  from  them.  In  the  meantime 
an  uncle  of  the  lads  has  gone  off  to  visit  the 
city,  and  he  disappears  entirely,  adding  to  the 
complexity  of  the  situation.  What  the  boys  did 
to  straighten  out  the  trouble  is  told  in  the  chap 
ters  which  follow 

In  writing  this  story  I  have  tried  to  give  my 
boy  readers  a  fair  idea  of  life  on  a  ranch  of 

to-day,  as  well   as  of   life  in  the  wild    mountain! 

(iii) 


M692805 


IV  THREE  YOUNG  RANCHMEN 

of  Idaho,  with  some  idea  of  the  ranch  hands  and 
miners  to  be  met  with  in  these  localities.  The 
tale  has  been  drawn  as  true  to  nature  as  possible, 
and  I  trust  its  reading  will  prove  both  entertain 
ing  and  useful. 

CAPTAIN  RALPH  BONEHILL. 


CONTENTS 


CHAPTER  I. 

AN  UNPLEASANT  DISCOVERY n 

CHAPTER  II. 

ALLEN  ON  THE  TRAIL 31 

CHAPTER  III. 

A  DANGEROUS  SITUATION 37 

CHAPTER  IV. 

THE  MAN  IN  THE  SINK  HOLE 33 

CHAPTER  V. 

GOOD  CAUSE  FOR  ALARM 41 

CHAPTER  VI. 

FROM  ONE  PERIL  TO  ANOTHER 51 

CHAPTER  VII. 

THE  CAVE  IN  THE  MOUNTAIN 59 

CHAPTER  VIII. 

INTO  A  SNAKE'S  NEST 67 

CHAPTER  IX. 

A  VISITOR  AT  THE  RANCH 76 

CHAPTER  X. 

THE  CAPTAIN'S  SETBACK 84 

CHAPTER  XI. 

IKE  WATSON'S  ARRIVAL 93 

(v) 


VI  THREE  YOUNG  RANCHMEN 

PAOB 

CHAPTER  XII. 

THE  BOYS  TALK  IT  OVER 101 

CHAPTER  XIII. 

CAUGHT  IN  A  CYCLONE 108 

CHAPTER  XIV. 

ANOTHER  SURPRISE 117 

CHAPTER  XV. 

AT  DOTTERY'S  RANCH 127 

CHAPTER  XVI. 

AN  ENCOUNTER  IN  THE  DARK 134 

CHAPTER  XVII. 

SOMETHING  ABOUT  A  LETTER 145 

CHAPTER  XVIII. 

ALLEN  CHANGES  His  PLANS 154 

CHAPTER  XIX. 

ALONG  THE  WATER  COURSE 162 

CHAPTER  XX. 

MOVING  AGAINST  CAPTAIN  GRADY       ....  173 

CHAPTER  XXI. 

SHOOTING  A  GRIZZLY  BEAR 179 

CHAPTER  XXII. 

AN  IMPORTANT  CAPTURE 185 

CHAPTER  XXIII. 

NEWS  OF  IMPORTANCE  191 

CHAPTER  XXIV. 

SOMETHING  ABOUT  BARNABY  WINTHROP  .  .  197 
CHAPTER  XXV. 

FIGHTING  A  WOLVERINE      ...          .          .        204 


CONTENT*  Vll 

PAGE 

CHAPTER  XXVI. 

DISAPPEARANCE  OF  SLAVIN 211 

CHAPTER  XXVII. 

ALLEN  SHOWS  His  BRAVERY 218 

CHAPTER  XXVIII. 

A  BUFFALO  STAMPEDE 225 

CHAPTER  XXIX. 

THE  LONG  LOST  FOUND 234 

CHAPTER  XXX. 

TOGETHER  AT  LAST  —  CONCLUSION 241 


ILLUSTRATIONS 

OPP. 

PAGE 

HORSE  AND  YOUTH  WENT  PLUNGING  HEADLONG  Frontispiece 

THE  MAN  CAUGHT  THE  END  OF  THE  GUN 40 

VAINLY  HE  PUT  OUT  His  HANDS  TO  STAY  His  PROG 
RESS    55 

HOLDING  THE  SNAKE,  HE  LEAPED  OUT  OF  THE  CIRCLE 

OF  REPTILES 70 

THE  THREE  YOUNG  RANCHMEN  TALKED  IT  OVER  .     .  103 


THREE  YOUNG   RANCHMEN 

CHAPTER   I. 
AN  UNPLEASANT  DISCOVERY 

WHEN  do  you  think  Allen  will  be  back, 
Paul?" 

"  He  ought  to  be  back  by  two  or  three  o'clock, 
Chet.  His  horse  was  fresh,  and  the  roads  are 
very  good  just  now." 

"I  hope  he  brings  good  news,  don't  you?  I 
am  tired  of  waiting  here." 

"  We  will  have  to  content  ourselves  on  the  ranch 
another  year,  I  am  afraid.  Father  left  matters  in 
a  very  unsettled  condition,  and  what  has  become 
of  Uncle  Barnaby  the  world  only  knows." 

"I  don't  care  so  much  about  the  dullness  — I 
like  to  hunt  and  fish  and  round  up  the  cattle  just 
as  well  as  any  one  — but  what  I'm  complaining 
of  is  the  uncertainty  of  the  way  things  are  going 
to  turn.  For  all  we  know,  we  may  be  cast 
adrift,  as  the  saying  goes,  any  day." 


12  THREE  YOUNG  RANCHMEN 

"That  is  true,  although  I  imagine  our  title  to 
the  ranch  is  O.  K.  If  those  title  papers  hadn't 
been  burned  up  when  one  end  of  the  house  took 
fire  I  wouldn't  worry  a  bit." 

"Neither  would  I.  But  we  all  know  what 
Captain  Grady  is  —  the  meanest  man  that  ever 
drew  the  breath  of  life  —  and  if  he  once  learns  that 
we  haven't  the  papers  he'll  be  down  on  us  quicker 
than  a  grizzly  bear  in  the  spring." 

"Well,  we  won't  let  him  know  that  the 
papers  have  been  burned  up.  We  will  continue 
to  bluff  him  off." 

"We    can't    bluff    him    forever.     To    my  mind 


The  boy  broke  off  short,  and  coming  to  a  halt, 
pointed  with  his  disengaged  hand  toward  the 
barn. 

"  Did  you  leave  that  door  unlocked?  "  he  went 
on. 

"Certainly  I  didn't.  Who  opened  it?  Per 
haps  Allen  is  back." 

"  And  perhaps  there  are  horse  thieves  around!  " 
was  the  quick  reply.  "Come  on." 

Without  a  word  more  the  two  boys  dropped 
their  burdens  and  started  for  the  structure  in  which 
the  horse  belonging  to  each  had  been  stabled. 


AN   UNPLEASANT  DISCOVERY  13 

The  boys  were  Chetwood  and  Paul  Winthrop, 
two  brothers,  tall,  well-built,  and  handsome.  The 
face  of  each  was  browned  by  exposure,  and 
showed  the  perfect  health  that  only  a  life  in  the 
open  can  give. 

Chet  and  Paul  lived  with  their  elder  brother 
Allen  at  a  typical  ranch  home  in  Idaho,  on  one 
of  the  numerous  branches  of  the  winding  Salmon 
River.  The  home  was  a  rude  but  comfortable 
affair,  with  several  outbuildings  close  at  hand, 
the  whole  surrounded  by  a  rude  but  substantial 
stockade,  a  relic  of  the  time  when  troubles  with 
the  Indians  were  numerous. 

It  was  a  warm,  sunshiny  day  in  August,  and 
the  two  boys  had  been  down  to  the  river  fishing 
at  a  favorite  deep  hole  near  the  roots  of  a  clump 
of  cottonwood  trees.  Each  had  a  nice  mess  of 
fish  strung  on  a  brush  branch,  showing  that  their 
quest  of  game  had  not  been  a  vain  one. 

For  three  years  the  three  Winthrop  boys  had 
lived  alone  at  the  ranch  home.  Their  former 
history  was  a  peculiar  one,  the  particulars  of 
which  will  be  given  later.  Just  now  we  will 
follow  Chet  and  Paul  to  the  barn,  the  door  to 
which  stood  half  open. 

-Gone!" 


14  THREE  YOUNG  RANCHMEN 

The  single  word  burst  from  the  lips  of  both 
simultaneously.  It  was  enough,  for  it  told  the 
whole  story.  Their  two  animals,  Jasper  and 
Rush,  had  vanished. 

"Thieves,  as  sure  as  fate!"  ejaculated  Paul, 
gazing  rapidly  on  all  sides.  "See  how  the  lock 
has  been  broken  open." 

"And  they  have  taken  all  the  extra  harness  as 
well,"  added  Chet,  his  black  eyes  snapping  angrily. 
"I  wonder  how  long  ago  this  happened." 

"There's  no  telling,  Chet.  Let's  see  — we 
went  off  about  eight  o'clock,  didn't  we?  " 

"Yes." 

"Then  the  rascals  have  had  nearly  four  hours 
in  which  to  do  their  dirty  work.  By  this  time 
they  are  probably  miles  away.  This  is  the  worst 
luck  of  all." 

"You  are  not  going  to  sit  down  and  suck 
your  thumb,  are  you,  Paul?"  questioned  the 
younger  brother,  quickly. 

"Not  if  we  can  do  anything.  But  we  are 
tied  fast  here, —  we  can't  follow  on  foot, —  they 
knew  that  when  they  came  to  rob  us." 

"  x-'ave  you  any  idea  who  the  thieves  can  be?" 

"Most  likely  a  remnant  of  that  old  gang  from 
Jordan  Creek.  I  knew  they  would  spring  up 


AN   UNPLEASANT  DISCOVERY  15 

again,  even  after  Sol  Davids  was  lynched.  Let 
us  take  a  look  around,  and  see  if  we  can't  find 
some  clew  to  their  identity." 

"If  only  Allen  would  come— " 

"Fire  off  your  gun.  If  he  is  in  hearing  that 
will  hasten  his  movements." 

Thus  directed,  Chet  hastened  outside,  and 
running  to  the  house,  quickly  brought  forth 
his  double-barreled  shotgun.  Two  reports  rent 
the  air  a  second  later,  and  then  the  youth  re 
turned  with  the  still  smoking  firearm  to  the 
barn. 

"  Have  you  found  anything?  "  he  asked. 

"Here  is  a  strap  that  doesn't  belong  to  our 
outfit,"  replied  Paul.  "  But  it's  only  a  common 
affair  that  might  belong  to  any  one." 

"  And  here  is  a  silver  cross!  "  cried  Chet,  as 
he  sprang  forward  to  pick  up  the  object. 

The  article  which  Chet  had  found  embedded 
in  the  dirt  flooring  of  the  barn  was  really  of  silver, 
but  so  unpolished  that  it  did  not  shine.  It  was 
not  over  an  inch  in  length  and  height,  with  a 
round  hole  directly  in  the  center.  At  the  four 
corners  of  the  cross  were  the  letters 

D  A  F  G. 


1 6  THREE  YOUNG  RANCHMEN 

"What  do  you  make  of  it?"  asked  Paul,  im 
patiently,  as  he  bent  over  to  examine  the  object 
as  it  lay  in  his  younger  brother's  palm. 

''Nothing.  It's  a  silver  cross  with  letters 
on  it ;  that's  all.  I  never  saw  one  like  it  be 
fore." 

4 '  Is  there  no  name  on  the  back  ?  " 

Quickly  the  cross  was  turned  over.  There,  dug 
into  the  metal,  as  if  with  a  jackknife,  were  the 
letters  S.  M. 

"S.  M.,"  said  Chet,  slowly.  "Who  can  they 
stand  for?" 

"Sam  somebody,  I  suppose,"  replied  Paul.  "I 
reckon  there  are  a  good  many  folks  in  Idaho  with 
the  initials  S.  M." 

"That  is  true,  too,  but  it's  not  likely  many  of 
them  are  mean  enough  to  turn  horse  thieves." 

Chet  surveyed  the  cross  for  a  few  seconds  longer 
Then  he  rammed  it  into  his  pocket  and  went  on 
with  the  search,  and  Paul  followed  suit. 

But  their  further  efforts  remained  unrewarded. 
Not  another  thing  of  value  was  brought  to  light. 

They  were   on   the   point   of   giving  up   when  a 
clatter   of  hoofs    was   heard   outside  on    the   rocks 
•  leading    from   the    trail  back   to    the   willows   and 
cotton  woods. 


AN   UNPLEASANT  DISCOVERY  17 

"There  is  Allen  now!"  cried  Paul,  joyfully. 
"Hi,  Allen!  This  way,  quick!  "  he  added,  eleva 
ting  his  voice. 

"All  right,  Paul,  my  boy!  "  came  in  a  cheery 
voice  from  the  elder  of  the  Winthrops,  as  he  dashed 
up  on  his  faithful  mare.  "  What's  wanted?" 

"The  horses  have  been  stolen!  " 

"  Phew!"     It  was  a  low  and  significant  whistle 
that    Allen    Winthrop    emitted,    and   the    pleasant 
look  on  his   fine  features   gave  way  to  one  of  deep 
concern. 
••      "  Stolen  !"  he  said  at  last.   "  When  ?  By  whom  ?" 

"We  don't  know,"  replied  Paul.  "We  just 
got  back  from  the  river  a  few  minutes  ago  and 
found  the  barn  door  broken  open  and  both  horses 
gone." 

"And  no  clew?" 

"We  found  this." 

Allen  Winthrop  caught  up  the  silver  cross 
quickly  and  gazed  at  it  for  the  fraction  of  a  min 
ute.  Then  he  muttered  something  under  his 
breath. 

"  Did  you  ever  see  this  cross  before?"  asked 
Paul. 

"No,  but  I  have  heard  father  tell  of  it,"  was  the 
answer.  "It  is  the  cross  the  old  Sol  Davids  gang 


1 8  THREE   YOUNG   RANCHMEN 

used  to  wear.  Do  you  see  those  letters  —  D  A  F 
G?  They  stand  for  'Dare  All  For  Gold.'  That 
was  the  gang's  motto,  and  they  never  hesitated  to 
carry  it  out." 

"  Then  we  were  right  in  thinking  that  the  horse 
thieves  might  be  some  left-overs  from  the  old 
gang,"  observed  Paul. 

"Yes  they  are  most  likely  of  the  same  old 
crowd,"  said  Allen.  "The  hanging  of  old  Sol 
did  not  drive  them  out  of  this  district." 

"  But  what  of  the  initials  S.  M.  ?  "  asked  Chet. 
' k  I  never  heard  of  any  horse  thief  that  those  would 
fit." 

"We'll  find  out  about  that  when  we  run  the 
thieves  down,"  said  Allen.  "You  say  you  dis 
covered  the  robbery  but  a  short  while  since?  " 

"  Less  than  a  quarter  of  an  hour  ago." 

"  Have  you  been  up  to  the  house?  " 

"  I  went  for  my  gun,"  began  Chet.  "  I  wonder 

if  it  were  possible "  he  commenced,  and  then 

meeting  his  older  brother's  eyes  stopped  short. 

Not  one  of  the  trio  said  more  just  then.  All 
made  a  wild  dash  from  the  barn  to  the  house. 
They  burst  into  the  living  room  of  the  latter  like  a 
cyclone. 

"It  looks  all  right,"  began  Paul. 


AN   UNPLEASANT   DISCOVERY  19 

"But  it  isn't  all  right,"  burst  out  Chet.  "See 
the  side  window  has  been  forced  open!  " 

Allen  said  nothing,  having  passed  into  one  of 
the  sleeping  rooms.  He  began  to  rummage  around 
the  apartment,  into  the  closet  and  the  trunks. 

"By  gracious!  "  he  burst  out  presently. 

"What's  up?"  questioned  his  two  brothers  in 
a  breath. 

"It's  gone!  " 

"Gone?" 

"Yes,  every  dollar  is  gone!  "  groaned  Allen. 

He  referred  to  three  bags  which  had  contained 
silver  and  gold  to  the  amount  of  seven  hundred 
dollars  —  the  Winthrop  savings  for  several  years. 

Paul  and  Chet  gave  a  groan.  Something  like 
a  lump  arose  in  the  throat  of  the  younger  youth, 
but  he  cleared  it  away  with  a  cough. 

"The  mean,  contemptible  scoundrels!"  burst 
out  Paul.  "We  must  get  after  them  somehow!  " 

"I'll  go  after  them,"  replied  Allen,  with  swift 
determination.  "Give  me  my  rifle.  I  already 
have  my  pistol." 

"  You  are  not  going  alone,  are  you?  "  demanded 
Paul. 

"I'll  have  to.  There  is  only  my  mare  to  be 
had." 


20  THREE   YOUNG   RANCHMEN 

11  It's  foolhardy,  Allen/'  urged  Chet.  "What 
could  one  fellow  do  against  two  or  more?  They 
would  knock  you  over  at  the  first  chance." 

"I  won't  give  them  the  first  chance,"  grimly 
replied  Allen,  as  he  ran  for  his  rifle.  "  As  they 
used  to  say  when  father  was  young,  I'll  shoot 
first  and  talk  afterward." 

"Can't  two  of  us  ride  on  the  mare?"  asked 
Paul.  "  I  am  not  so  very  heavy." 

The  older  brother  shook  his  head. 

"It  can't  be  done,  Paul;  not  with  her  all 
tired  out  after  her  morning's  jaunt.  No,  I'll  go 
alone.  Perhaps  the  trail  will  lead  past  some 
other  ranch  and  then  I'll  call  on  the  neighbors  for 
help." 

"Can  you  follow  the  trail?" 

"I  reckon  I  can;  leastwise  I  can  try.  I  won't 
lose  it  unless  they  take  to  the  rocks  and  leave  the 
river  entirely,  and  it  ain't  likely  they'll  do  that." 

Chet  and  Paul  shook  their  heads.  -  To  them 
it  seemed  dangerous,  and  so  it  was.  But  it  was 
no  use  arguing  with  Allen  when  he  had  once 
made  up  his  mind,  so  they  let  him  have  his  own 
way. 

Three  minutes  later  Allen  was  off  on  the  trail 
of  the  horse  thieves. 


CHAPTER  II. 
ALLEN  ON  THE  TRAIL 

A  LTHOUGH  Allen  Winthrop  was  but  a  young 
/•>  man  in  years,  yet  the  fact  that  he  had  had  the 
care  of  the  family  on  his  shoulders  since  the  death 
of  his  parents  had  tended  to  make  him  older  in  ex 
perience  and  give  him  the  courage  to  face  what 
ever  arose  before  him  in  the  path  of  duty. 

He  was  four  years  older  than  Chet  and  two  years 
the  senior  of  Paul,  and  the  others  had  always 
looked  upon  him  as  a  guiding  spirit  in  all  under 
takings. 

Consequently  but  little  was  said  by  way  of  op 
position  when  Allen  determined  to  go  after  the 
thieves  alone,  but  nevertheless  the  hearts  of  both 
the  younger  brothers  were  filled  with  anxiety  when 
they  saw  Allen  disappear  on  the  back  of  his  mare 
up  the  trail  that  led  to  the  southwest. 

"It's  too  bad  that  we  can't  accompany  him," 
was  the  way  Chet  expressed  himself.  "  I'd  give 
all  I  possess  for  a  good  horse  just  now." 

(21) 


22  THREE   YOUNG   RANCHMEN 

"All  you  possess  isn't  much,  seeing  we've  all 
been  cleaned  out,"  replied  Paul,  with  a  trace  of 
grim  humor  he  did  not  really  feel.  "But  I,  too, 
wish  I  had  a  horse  and  could  go  along." 

"Still,  somebody  ought  to  stay  on  the  ranch," 
went  on  Chet,  "  we  might  have  more  unprofitable 
visitors." 

"  It's  not  likely  that  the  gang  will  dare  to 
show  themselves  in  this  vicinity  again  in  a  hurry. 
Like  as  not  they'll  steer  for  Deadwood,  sell  the 
horses,  and  then  spend  their  ill-gotten  gains  around 
the  gambling  saloons.  That  is  their  usual  style. 
They  can't  content  themselves  in  the  mountains 
or  on  the  plains  as  long  as  they  have  the  dust 
in  their  pockets." 

After  Allen  had  disappeared  the  two  boys 
locked  up  the  barn  as  well  as  was  possible,  using 
a  wooden  pin  in  lieu  of  the  padlock  that  had 
been  forced  asunder,  and  then  went  back  to  the 
house.  Chet  brought  in  the  string  of  fish  and 
threw  them  in  a  big  tin  basin. 

"I  suppose  I  might  as  well  fry  a  couple  of 
these,"  he  observed;  "though,  to  tell  the  truth, 
I  am  not  a  bit  hungry." 

"I,  too,  have  lost  my  appetite,"  replied  Paul. 
"  But  we  must  eat,  and  dinner  will  help  pass 


ALLEN   ON   THE   TRAIL  23 

away  the  time.  I  reckon  there  is  no  telling  when 
Allen  will  be  back." 

**  No.  I  don't  care  much,  if  he  only  keeps  from 
getting  into  serious  trouble." 

In  the  meantime  Allen  had  passed  down  the 
trail  until  the  buildings  of  the  ranch  were  left 
far  behind.  He  knew  the  way  well,  and  had  no 
difficulty  in  finding  the  tracks  —  new  ones  —  made 
by  the  hoofs  of  four  horses. 

"As  long  as  they  remain  as  fresh  as  they  are 
now  it  will  be  easy  enough  to  follow  them,"  was 
the  mental  conclusion  which  he  reached,  as  he 
urged  forward  his  tired  mare  in  a  way  that  showed 
his  fondness  for  the  animal  and  his  disinclination 
to  make  her  do  more  than  could  fairly  be  ex 
pected. 

The  belt  of  cottonwood  was  soon  passed,  and 
Allen  emerged  upon  the  bank  of  a  small  brook 
which  flowed  into  the  river  at  a  point  nearly 
half  a  mile  further  on. 

He  examined  the  wet  bank  of  the  brook  minutely 
and  came  to  the  conclusion  that  here  the  horse 
thieves  had  stopped  the  animals  for  a  drink. 

"I  imagine  they  came  a  long  distance  to  get 
here,"  he  thought,  "and  that  means  they  will 
go  a  long  way  before  they  settle  down  for  the 


24  THREE  YOUNG   RANCHMEN 

night.  Heigh-ho!  I  have  a  long  and  difficult 
search  before  me." 

The  brook  had  been  forded,  and  Allen  crossed 
over  likewise,  and  five  minutes  later  reached  a 
bit  of  rolling  land  dotted  here  and  there  with  sage 
and  other  brush. 

Allen  wondered  if  the  trail  would  lead  to  Gold 
Fork,  as  the  little  mining  town  at  the  foot  of 
the  mountains  was  called. 

"  If  they  went  that  way  I  will  have  no  trouble 
in  getting  help  to  run  them  down,"  he  said  to 
himself.  "  I  can  get  Ike  Watson  and  Mat  Prigley, 
who  will  go  willingly,  and  there  is  no  better  man 
to  take  hold  of  this  sort  of  thing  than  Ike  Watson." 

Mile  after  mile  was  passed,  and  the  trail  re 
mained  as  plain  as  before. 

'*  It  looks  as  if  they  didn't  anticipate  being 
followed,"  was  the  way  Allen  figured  it,  but 
he  soon  found  out  his  mistake,  when,  on  coming 
around  a  rocky  spur  of  ground,  the  trail  suddenly 
vanished. 

The  young    ranchman  came    to  a  halt  in   some 

dismay,   and    a  look  of    perplexity    quickly    stole 

over  his   face.      He    looked  to    the  right  and  the 

"left,   and  ahead,  but   all  to  no  purpose.     The  trail 

was  gone. 


ALLEN  ON  THE  TRAIL  25 

"  Here's  a  state  of  things,"  he  murmured  as  he 
continued  to  gaze  around.  "Where  in  the  land 
of  goodness  has  it  gone  to  ?  They  couldn't  have 
taken  wings  and  flown  away." 

Allen  spent  all  of  a  quarter  of  an  hour  on  the 
rocky  spur.  Then  on  a  venture  he  moved  for 
ward  over  the  bare  rocks,  feeling  pretty  certain 
that  it  was  the  only  way  they  could  have  gone 
without  leaving  tracks  behind  them. 

He  calculated  that  he  had  traveled  nearly  ten 
miles.  His  mare  showed  signs  of  being  tired, 
and  he  spoke  to  her  more  kindly  than  ever. 

"It  won't  do,  Lilly,"  he  said,  patting  her 
soft  neck  affectionately.  "We  have  got  to  get 
through  somehow  or  other.  You  must  brace  up 
and  when  it  is  all  over  you  can  take  the.  best 
kind  of  a  long  resting  spell." 

And  the  faithful  animal  laid  back  her  ears 
and  appeared  to  understand  every  word  he  said 
to  her.  She  was  a  most  knowing  creature,  and 
Allen  would  have  gone  wild  had  she  been  one 
of  those  stolen. 

The  barren,  rocky  way  lasted  for  upward  of 
half  a  mile,  and  came  to  an  end  in  a  slight  decline 
covered  with  rich  grass  and  more  brush.  Allen 
looked  about  him  eagerly. 


2*  THREE   YOUNG  RANCHMEN 

"Hurrah!  there  is  the  trail,  true  enough!" 
he  cried,  as  the  well  understood  marks  in  the 
growth  beneath  his  feet  met  his  gaze.  "That  was 
a  lucky  chance  I  took.  On,  Lilly,  and  we'll  have 
Jasper  and  Rush  back  before  nightfall,  or  know 
the  reason  why." 

Away  flew  the  mare  once  more  over  the  plain 
that  stretched  before  her  for  several  miles.  Be 
yond  were  the  mountains,  covered  with  a  purplish 
haze. 

The  vicinity  of  the  mountains  was  gained  at 
last,  and  now,  more  than  tired,  the  mare  dropped 
into  a  walk  as  the  first  upward  slope  was 
struck. 

Hardly  had  she  done  so  than  Allen  saw  some 
thing  that  made  his  heart  jump.  It  was  a  man, 
and  he  was  riding  Chet's  horse! 


CHAPTER   III. 
A  DANGEROUS  SITUATION 

IT  WAS  not  possible  for  Allen  Winthrop  to  make 
any  mistake  regarding  the  animal  the  man  on 
the  mountain  trail  was  riding.  Too  often  had 
he  ridden  on  Rush's  back,  and  too  well  did  he 
know  the  sturdy  little  horse's  characteristics. 

But  the  man  was  a  stranger  to  the  young  ranch 
man,  and  he  could  not  even  remember  having 
seen  the  rascal's  face  before. 

"Stop!"  called  out  Allen,  as  he  struck  Lilly 
to  urge  her  on.  "Stop!  Do  you  hear  me?" 

The  man  caught  the  words  and  wheeled  about 
quickly.  He  was  evidently  much  disturbed  by  the 
encounter.  He  had  been  looking  ahead,  and  had 
known  nothing  of  Allen's  approach. 

"  Stop,  do  you  hear  ?  "  repeated  Allen. 

"Wot  do  yer  want?"  was  the  surly  response, 
but  the  speaker  did  not  draw  rein  in  the  least. 

"  I  want  you  to  stop!  "  exclaimed  Allen,  grow 
ing  excited.  "  That  horse  belongs  to  my  brother!" 

(27) 


28  THREE  YOUNG  RANCHMEN 

"Reckon  you  air  mistaken,  stranger,"  was  the 
cool  reply.  "This  air  hoss  is  mine." 

This  unexpected  reply  staggered  Allen.  He 
had  expected  the  man  to  either  show  fight  or 
take  to  his  heels.  It  was  plainly  evident  that 
the  fellow  intended,  if  possible,  to  bluff  him 
off. 

"Your  horse?  Not  much!  Whoa,  Rush,  old 
boy!  " 

Commanded  by  that  familiar  tongue,  the  horse 
came  to  a  halt  that  was  so  sudden  it  nearly 
pitched  the  rider  out  of  his  saddle.  He  mut 
tered  something  under  his  breath,  straightened 
up  and  gave  the  reins  a  vicious  yank  that  made 
Rush  rear  up  in  resentment. 

"  See  here,  youngster,  keep  your  parley  to  your 
self!  "  howled  the  man,  scowling  at  Allen. 

"I  will  —  after  you  get  down  and  turn  that 
nag  over  to  me,"  rejoined  Allen,  as  coolly  as  he 
could,  although  he  was  in  an  exceedingly  high 
state  of  suppressed  excitement. 

'*  And  whyfore  should  I  turn  him  over  to  you, 
seein'  as  how  he  belongs  to  me?"  growled  the 
man,  as  brazenly  as  he  could. 

"You  stole  that  horse  from  our  barn  not  four 
hours  ago,"  retorted  Allen.  "I  will  waste  no 


A  DANGEROUS  SITUATION  29 

more  words  with  you.  Get  down  or  take  the 
consequences." 

As  he  concluded  the  youth  unslung  his  rifle  in 
a  suggestive  manner.  He  had  lived  out  in  those 
wilds  long  enough  to  know  that  to  trifle  in  such 
a  case  as  this  would  be  sheer  foolishness. 

"You're  a  hot-headed  youngster,  tew  say  the 
least,"  was  the  reply,  and  as  he  spoke  the  man 
scowled  more  viciously  than  ever.  The  sight  of 
the  ready  rifle  in  Allen's  hands  was  not  at  all  to 
his  liking.  He  made  a  movement  toward  his 
pistols,  but  a  second  glance  at  the  youth  made 
him  change  his  mind. 

"  I  said  I  would  waste  no  more  words  with 
you,"  repeated  Allen.  "Get  down!" 

"But  see  here,   youngster " 

"  Get  down!"  And  up  came  the  rifle  in  a  mo 
tion  that  caused  the  man  to  start  back  in  terror. 

"There  must  be  a  mistake  somewhar,"  he 
said,  slowly,  as  soon  as  he  could  recover.  "My 
pard  turned  this  critter  over  to  me,  and  I  reck 
oned  it  war  all  right." 

"There  is  where  you  reckoned  wrong.  Are 
you  going  to  get  down  now  or  not?" 

"  Supposin'  we  talk  it  over  with  my  pard 
first?  Thar  he  is  now." 


30  THREE  YOUNG  RANCHMEN 

The  man  pointed  to  the  trail  behind  Allen. 
His  manner  was  so  natural  that  for  the  instant 
the  young  ranchman  was  deceived.  He  looked 
about. 

With  a  dash  and  a  clatter  the  horse  thief  urged 
Rush  on,  digging  his  spurs  deep  into  the  little 
horse's  flesh.  As  he  did  so  he  dropped  partly 
under  the  horse's  neck,  thus  to  shield  himself  from 
a  chance  shot,  should  it  be  taken. 

But,  although  astonished  and  angered  at  be 
ing  so  easily  duped,  Allen  did  not  fire.  Rush  was 
moving  along  over  the  rocks  too  rapidly  for  him 
to  take  the  risk  of  killing  his  brother's  favorite 
beast.  Besides,  only  a  small  portion  of  the  rider 
could  be  seen  at  one  time. 

"I'll  follow  him  until  I  get  a  better  chance,'' 
he  thought,  and  he  cried  to  Lilly  to  follow  in 
pursuit. 

Once  again  the  gallant  mare  responded, 
although  she  was  now  thoroughly  jaded.  Up 
the  rocks  they  went,  and  around  numerous  bends, 
the  clatter  ahead  telling  plainly  that  the  race 
was  about  even  for  pursued  and  pursuer. 

"I  must  be  on  my  guard  or  that  fellow  may 
play  me  foul,"  thought  Allen.  "He  looks  like 
a  most  desperate  character,  and  he  knows  well 


A  DANGEROUS  SITUATION  31 

enough  what  capture  by  the  law-abiding  folks 
of  this  State  means.  They  would  lynch  him  in 
a  minute." 

Allen  wondered  what  had  become  of  the 
other  thieves  and  the  horse  Jasper.  Surely  they 
could  not  be  far  away. 

"^Perhaps  that  fellow  is  trying  to  reach  the 
others,  who  may  have  gone  on  ahead,"  he  specu 
lated  mentally.  "  If  he  reaches  them  it  will  be 
so  much  the  worse  for  me,  for  I  can  never  fight 
two  or  more  among  these  rocks  and  bushes.  On 
Lilly.  We  must  run  him  down  at  once!  " 

But  the  little  mare  could  be  urged  no  longer. 
She  had  reached  her  limit,  and  went  forward 
with  a  doggedness  that  was  pitiful  to  behold. 

In  five  minutes  Allen  heard  the  clatter  ahead 
drawing  away  from  him.  Soon  it  ceased  en 
tirely. 

But  he  did  not  give  up.  It  was  not  in  his 
nature  to  surrender  a  cause  so  long  as  one  spark 
of  hope  of  success  remained. 

The  mountain  trail  now  led  downward  for  a 
few  hundred  yards,  and  then  wound  through  a 
rocky  pass,  dark  and  forbidding.  Allen  kept 
watch  on  either  side  for  a  possible  ambush,  but 
none  presented  itself. 


32  THREE  YOUNG  RANCHMEN 

"  He  has  gone  on,  that  is  certain,"  he  thought. 
"I  rather  guess  he  thinks  to  tire  me  out,  knowing 
the  condition  my  mare  is  in ;  but  if  he  thinks  that 
he  is  mistaken.  I'll  follow,  if  I  have  to  do  it 
on  foot." 

At  last  the  trail  left  the  rocky  pass  and  came 
out  upon  some  shelving  rocks  overlooking  a  deep 
canyon,  at  the  bottom  of  which  sparkled  the  swift- 
running  stream.  Here  a  rude  bridge  led  to  the 
other  side,  a  bridge  composed  of  slender  trees  and 
rough-hewn  planks. 

Without  hesitation,  Allen  rode  upon  the  bridge. 
As  he  did  so  a  derisive  laugh  resounded  from  the 
other  side  of  the  canyon,  and  he  saw  the  man 
he  was  after  and  two  others  ride  into  view. 

Then,  before  he  could  turn  back,  Allen  felt 
the  bridge  sagging  beneath  him.  Suddenly  it 
parted  in  the  center,  and  horse  and  youth  went 
plunging  headlong  toward  the  waters  far  beneath. 


CHAPTER     IV. 

THE  MAN  IN  THE  SINK  HOLE 

WE  WILL  now    return  to    the    ranch  and    see 
how  Chet    and    Paul    were  faring  during 
their  elder  brother's  absence. 

Chet  took  the  string  of  fish,  and  selecting 
two,  began  to  clean  them.  He  was  used  to  the 
work,  and  did  it  with  a  dexterity  and  quickness 
that  could  not  have  been  excelled.  Ever  since 
his  mother  had  died  it  had  fallen  upon  Chet's 
young  shoulders  to  do  the  culinary  work  about 
the  ranch  home. 

While  Chet  was  thus  engaged  Paul  busied  himself 
in  looking  over  the  shotguns,  cleaning  and  oiling 
them  and  then  loading  up. 

The  fish  cooked,  Chet  set  the  table,  putting  on 
three  plates,  although  he  himself  was  almost  cer 
tain  Allen  would  not  come  back  in  time  for  the 
meal. 

"  It's  queer,  I've  been  thinking,"  remarked  Paul, 
during   the    progress   of   the    meal,    **  Allen    said 
nothing  about  the  result  of  his  morning  trip." 
3  (33) 


34  THREE  YOUNG  RANCHMEN 

"He  was  too  excited  over  the  theft  of  the 
horses  to  think  of  anything  else,  I  reckon,"  was 
the  reply  Chet  made.  "It  was  enough  to  upset 
any  one's  mind." 

"  At  least  he  might  have  said  if  he  had  heard 
from  Uncle  Barnaby,"  grumbled  Paul.  "More 
particularly,  as  we  were  just  dying  to  know." 

*'I  imagine  if  he  had  heard  he  would  have  said 
so  and  left  us  the  letter,  Paul.  Allen  knows  as 
well  as  you  or  I  how  anxious  we  really  were." 

"  It's  queer  the  way  Uncle  Barnaby  disappeared," 
mused  Paul,  as  he  mashed  the  potatoes  on  his 
plate  with  a  fork.  "  One  would  not  think  a  man 
could  go  to  San  Francisco  and  disappear  forever." 

"He  might  if  he  went  to  Chinatown  and  got 
sandbagged  or  something  like  that." 

"  Oh,  you  don't  really  think  such  a  thing  would 
happen? " 

"It  might.  Uncle  was  a  great  hand  to  see  the 
sights,  and  also  to  make  a  show  of  his  money, 
and  the  Chinese  in  San  Francisco  are,  many  of 
them,  a  bloodthirsty  set." 

"  Do  you  really  believe  he  discovered  the  rich 
mine  he  talked  about?  " 

"He  discovered  something,  that  is  certain. 
And  he  had  faith  enough  in  it  to  go  to  San 


THE   MAN   IN  THE  SINK  HOLE  35 

Francisco  in  the  hope  of  starting  a  company  to 
develop  the  claim." 

It  was  in  this  strain  that  the  two  boys  talked 
on  until  long  after  the  meal  was  finished,  and 
while  they  are  conversing  let  us  take  a  brief 
glance  at  their  former  history. 

As  I  have  said,  the  three  brothers  were  orphans, 
their  parents  having  died  several  years  before. 

The  ranch  had  belonged  to  their  father,  who 
had  willed  it  to  his  three  sons  equally,  and  as  none 
of  them  were  yet  of  age,  he  had  appointed  his 
brother,  Barnaby,  his  executor. 

Barnaby  Winthrop  was  an  old  prospector, 
who  had  spent  a  life  among  the  hills,  prospect 
ing  for  gold  and  silver.  As  has  been  said,  he 
was  a  peculiar  man,  but  warm  and  generous 
hearted  to  the  last  degree. 

As  there  was  really  little  to  do  at  the  ranch 
but  look  after  the  cattle,  the  uncle  had  left  the 
place  in  charge  of  the  three  boys  and  continued 
month  in  and  month  out  ranging  over  the  hills  and 
among  the  mountains  in  search  of  the  precious 
metal  which  lay  hidden  beneath  the  surface 

One  day  Uncle  Barnaby  had  staggered  into 
the  house,  weak  and  hungry.  He  had  made  a 
perilous  trip  up  to  a  point  theretofore  considered 


36  THREE  YOUNG  RANCHMEN 

unattainable.  He  announced  that  he  had  at  last 
struck  a  mining  spot  that  if  properly  worked 
would  prove  a  bonanza.  He  refused  to  state  the 
exact  location  and  announced  his  intention  of  going 
at  once  to  San  Francisco  to  organize  a  company  to 
open  up  a  mine. 

He  started  apparently  in  the  best  of  health, 
and  although  he  had  been  gone  now  a  number 
of  months,  and  they  had  been  anxiously  awaiting 
his  reappearance,  they  had  seen  or  heard  nothing 
of  him. 

During  this  period  the  boys  had  had  consid 
erable  trouble  at  home,  which  had  occupied 
their  attention.  At  the  start  some  of  the  cattle 
had  gone  astray,  and  it  had  taken  a  ten  days' 
hunt  over  the  long  range  to  find  them.  Then 
had  come  Captain  Hank  Grady,  who  had  sought 
in  various  ways  to  get  possession  of  the  ranch, 
stating  that  their  father  had  borrowed  money 
from  him  and  that  it  had  not  been  paid  back. 
The  captain  was  known  to  be  both  mean  and 
unscrupulous,  and  all  of  the  boys  doubted  very 
much  if  he  spoke  the  truth.  But  they  had  ex 
pected  much  more  trouble  from  him  before  the 
end  was  reached,  and  they  were  destined  not 
to  be  disappointed.  Captain  Grady  knew  the 


THE  MAN  IN  THE   SINK   HOLE  37 

value  of  the  ranch,  even  if  the  boys  did  not, 
and  he  meant  to  gain  possession  of  it,  if  not 
by  fair  means,  then  by  foul. 

"We'll  have  to  take  a  look  for  the  cattle 
this  afternoon,"  said  Paul,  some  time  after  the 
conversation  concerning  Uncle  Barnaby  came  to 
a  close.  "We  don't  want  any  of  them  to  get 
in  the  sink  hole  again." 

"That's  so;  we'll  start  at  once,  and  we'll  see 
to  it  that  we  lock  up  good,"  laughed  Chet. 
"No  more  thieves  wanted." 

The  house  was  soon  tidied  up,  and  then, 
after  closing  up  everything  well  and  setting  an 
alarm  to  scare  away  any  newcomer,  Chet  and 
Paul  set  out  on  foot  over  the  rolling  land 
which  led  from  the  river. 

Half  a  mile  beyond  the  rolling  land  was  a 
nasty  bit  of  spongy  soil  known  as  the  sink 
hole.  Not  unfrequently  the  cattle  would  stray 
in  this  direction  and  more  than  one  had  sunk 
to  death  in  the  mire. 

"Some  cattle  around  there  now !"  cried  Paul, 
as  they  drew  close  to  the  spot.  "It's  lucky 
we  came  this  way." 

"Go  to  the  westward  of  them,"  said  Chet. 
"We  can  drive  them "  Chet  broke  off 


38  THREE   YOUNG  RANCHMEN 

short,  for  just  then  a  piercing  cry  rang  in  their 
ears: 

"  Help!   help!     For  the  sake  of  heaven,  help!  " 

Chet  and  Paul  were  thrilled  to  the  heart  to  hear 
that  wild,  agonizing  cry  for  assistance  which  rang 
out  so  clearly  on  the  afternoon  air.  Plainly  a 
human  being  was  in  distress,  and  needed  immedi 
ate  assistance. 

They  looked  around,  but  for  several  seconds 
saw  nothing.  Then  the  cry  rang  out  again,  more 
sharply,  more  pitiably  than  ever. 

"Help!   help!      Save  me  from  death!" 

"Do  you  see  him?"  demanded  Paul,  breath 
lessly. 

"No,  I  do  not,"  rejoined  Chet.  "But  he 
must  be  near.  Did  not  the  cry  come  from  over 
there?"  pointing  with  his  finger  to  the  right. 

"I  believe  it  did.     Come  on!  " 

Paul  set  off  on  a  run  around  the  edge  of  the 
sink  hole,  which  was  all  of  several  hundred  feet 
in  diameter.  Close  behind  him  came  Chet, 
wondering  who  the  man  could  be  and  how  they 
might  assist  him  should  he  be  beyond  their  reach. 

Two  dozen  steps  brought  them  in  sight  of  the 
sufferer.  He  was  a  young  man  and  his  general 
dress  and  appearance  betokened  that  he  was  a 


THE   MAN   IN  THE   SINK  HOLE  39 

stranger  in  those  parts,  and,  in   fact,  a   stranger  to 
the  wilds;   a  city  fellow,  born  and  bred. 

"  Save  me!  Help!  "  cried  the  man  for  a  third 
time.  He  was  up  to  his  middle  in  the  spongy 
soil  and  sinking  rapidly. 

"  Keep  up  your  courage;  we  will  assist  you!  " 
shouted  Paul  in  return. 

"Thank    God,  somebody    has    heard    my  cry! 
murmured   the  man,    gratefully.       "You   must  be 
quick  ;   I  am  sinking  rapidly,"  he  continued  aloud. 

"  Have  you  anything  in  the  shape  of  a  rope  with 
you?"  asked  Paul  of  Chet. 

"  I  have  not." 

This  was  a  sad  predicament,  as  the  man  was  all 
of  three  yards  from  solid  ground.  How  to  get 
to  him  was  a  question.  But  it  was  solved  by 
Chet,  as  he  brought  a  bit  of  stout  cord  from 
his  pocket. 

"Tie  the  two  stocks  of  the  guns  together," 
he  said.  "  This  way  ;  let  me  show  you." 

He  held  the  two  stocks  side  by  side,  so  that  they 
overlapped  each  other  about  eight  or  ten  inches. 
The  cord  was  hastily  wound  about  them  and 
tied,  and  it  was  Chet  who  thrust  one  of  the  gun 
barrels  toward  the  sinking  man,  while  he  firmly 
grasped  the  other. 


4o  THREE  YOUNG  RANCHMEN 

4 'Catch  hold,"  he  said.  "Paul,  help  me  land 
him." 

The  man  caught  the  end  of  the  gun  and  Paul 
took  hold  of  Chet's  hand.  Two  efforts  were  made, 
the  first  time  the  man  letting  the  gun  slip  and 
sinking  deeper  than  ever.  But  the  second  effort 
was  successful,  and,  panting  from  his  unusual 
exertion,  the  man  reached  the  solid  ground  and  fell 
exhausted. 


CHAPTER   V. 
GOOD  CAUSE  FOR  ALARM 

IT  WAS  several  minutes  before  the  man  who  had 
been  rescued  from  the  sink  hole  could  sit 
up  and  talk.  His  hat  was  gone,  and  with  a 
dirty  face  and  tangled,  muddy  hair,  he  presented 
a  sorry  spectacle. 

"  I'm  very  thankful  to  you  for  what  you  have 
done,"  were  his  first  words,  accompanied  by 
a  look  that  told  plainly  he  felt  what  he  said. 
"I  thought  I  was  at  the  end  of  my  string  sure, 
as  they  say  in  these  parts." 

"I  allow  that's  a  bad  hole  to  get  into,"  re 
turned  Chet.  "I  wouldn't  want  to  get  into  it 
myself." 

"And  may  I  ask  to  whom  am  I  indebted  for 
my  life?"  continued  the  man. 

"My  name  is  Chet  wood  Winthrop,  and  this 
is  my  brother  Paul." 

"I  am  exceedingly  glad  to  know  you,  boys. 
My  name  is  Noel  Urner,  and  I  am  from  New 
York.  I  am  a  stranger  in  Idaho,  and  I  know 

(41) 


42  THREE  YOUNG  RANCHMEN 

nothing  of  such  treacherous  places  as  this  —  at 
least  I  did  not  know  of  them  until  a  short  while 
ago.'1  And  the  man  shuddered  as  the  memory 
of  his  fearful  experience  flashed  over  him. 

"It's  one  of  the  unpleasant  things  of  the 
country,"  responded  Paul,  with  a  little  laugh. 
"But  how  came  you  in  it?"  with  a  glance 
down  at  the  spurs  on  the  man's  boots. 

"I  see  you  are  looking  at  my  spurs.  Yes,  I 
had  a  horse,  but  he  is  gone  now." 

"Gone!      In    the   sink    hole?"  ejaculated  Chet. 

"No;   he   was  stolen   from  me." 

"Stolen!  "  Both  boys  uttered  the  word  simul 
taneously. 

"Yes.  I  was  riding  along  when  I  came  to  a 
spot  where  I  saw  some  flora  which  particularly 
interested  me,  for  I  am  a  botanist,  although  for 
pleasure  only.  I  dismounted  and  tied  my  horse 
to  a  tree  and  climbed  up  to  secure  the  speci 
mens  which  were  on  a  shelf  of  rock  some  thirty 
feet  over  my  head.  Soon  I  heard  a  clatter  of 
horses'  hoofs  as  they  passed  along  the  road.  I 
came  down  with  my  specimens  to  see  who  the 
riders  were,  but  they  had  already  passed  on, 
taking  my  horse  with  them." 

"The  horse  thieves!  "  cried  Chet. 


GOOD  CAUSE  FOR  ALARM          43 

And  he  told  the  man  of  the  raid  made  on  the 
ranch  and  how  Allen  had  gone  off  in  pursuit  of 
the  thieves.  The  reader  can  well  imagine  with 
what  interest  Noel  Urner  listened  to  the  tale. 

•'One  would  not  believe  it  possible!"  he  ex 
claimed,  when  Chet  had  wound  up  by  saying  he 
wished  Allen  would  lay  every  one  of  the  rascals 
low.  "I  fancied  horse  thievery  was  a  thing  only 
permitted  in  the  wildest  portions  of  the  terri 
tories." 

"There  are  horse  thieves  everywhere,"  said 
Paul.  "  Every  one  living  for  a  hundred  miles 
around  has  suffered  during  the  past  ten  years. 
Sometimes  we  think  them  wiped  out,  and  then, 
all  of  a  sudden  they  start  up  again." 

'"Well,  I  trust  your  brother  gets  your  horses 
back,"  said  Noel  Urner.  "  It's  a  pity  he  won't 
know  enough  to  take  mine  away  from  the  thieves, 
too!  " 

"  He'll  collar  the  thieves  and  all  they  have,  if 
he  gets  half  a  chance,  you  can  depend  on  that," 
said  Chet.  "But  won't  you  come  to  our  ranch 
with  us?  You  can  clean  up  there  and  have  some 
thing  to  eat  if  you  are  hungry." 

"Thank  you,  I  will  go  gladly.  Possibly  you 
can  sell  me  a  headgear  of  some  sort  too." 


44  THREE   YOUNG  RANCHMEN 

"We  can  fit  you  out  all  right  enough,   sir." 

It  did  not  take  the  boys  long  to  chase  the  cattle 
away  from  the  sink  hole,  and  this  accomplished, 
they  set  off  for  the  ranch  with  Noel  Urner  between 
them. 

They  found  the  young  man  an  exceedingly 
bright  and  pleasant  chap.  He  said  he  had  come 
west  two  months  before  and  had  been  spending 
over  a  month  in  San  Francisco. 

"I  came  out  at  the  invitation  of  an  old  pros 
pector,"  he  said.  "  We  were  to  meet  in  San  Fran 
cisco,  but  when  I  arrived  there  I  could  not  find 
my  man.  He  belongs  somewhere  in  this  neighbor 
hood.  His  name  is  Barnaby  Winthrop.  Perhaps 
you  have  heard  of  him?" 

"Heard  of  him!  "  cried  Chet. 

"He  is  our  uncle!  "  added  Paul. 

"Your  uncle!  "  And  now  it  was  Noel  Urner's 
turn  to  be  surprised. 

"  Yes,  our  uncle,  and  he  has  been  missing  for 
several  months,"  continued  Paul.  "  Oh,  tell  us 
what  you  know  of  him  at  once,  for  we  are  dying 
to  know!  " 

"  The  Barnaby  Winthrop  I  mean  had  an  un 
developed  gold  and  silver  mine  he  wished  to  open 
up." 


GOOD  CAUSE  FOR  ALARM          45 

•'  It  was  our  uncle,  beyond  the  shadow  of  a 
doubt,"  said  Chet.  "  Our  name  is  Winthrop,  and 
Uncle  Barnaby  is  our  guardian.  We  can  prove 
it  to  you  by  the  papers,  if  you  wish." 

"  I  am  willing  to  take  your  word,  boys.  But, 
you  understand,  one  must  be  careful  about  speak 
ing  of  mines  in  this  section ;  at  least  I  have  been 
told  so." 

4 'Yes,  we  know  about  that,"  returned  Paul. 
"Many  a  man  has  lost  the  chance  of  his  life  by 
advertising  his  knowledge  too  broadly.  Others 
would  gain  a  clew  of  a  mine,  hunt  it  up,  and  put  in 
a  claim  before  the  original  discoverer  knew  what 
was  up." 

**  Exactly,  and  that  is  why  I  was  slow  in  saying 
anything.  But  when  you  ask  me  to  tell  you  about 
your  uncle,  I  am  sorry  to  say  I  know  but  very 
little,  although  I  suspect  much,  now  you  say  he 
has  been  missing  so  long." 

By  this  time  the  little  party  had  reached  the 
ranch  house.  They  went  inside,  and  despite  the 
fact  that  the  boys  were  impatient  to  hear  what 
Noel  Urner  might  have  to  say,  they  gave  the  young 
man  time  to  wash  up  and  make  himself  other 
wise  presentable,  Chet  in  the  meanwhile  frying 
another  fish  and  preparing  a  pot  of  coffee. 


46  THREE   YOUNG   RANCHMEN 

"This  is  just  what  I  wished,  and  no  mistake," 
said  Noel  Urner,  as  he  set  to  with  a  hearty  good 
will.  "But  I  am  sure  you  are  impatient  to  learn 
something  of  your  uncle,  so  I  will  not  keep  you 
waiting.  To  make  my  story  plain,  I  will  have 
to  tell  you  something  of  myself  also. 

44  In  the  first  place  I  am  a  broker  and  speculator 
from  New  York  city.  I  make  a  specialty  of 
mining  stocks,  and  own  shares  myself  in  half  a 
dozen  mines.  , 

"About  ten  weeks  or  so  ago  I  heard  through 
a  friend  in  San  Francisco  that  Barnaby  Winthrop 
was  trying  to  form  a  company  to  develop  a  new 
strike  in  this  vicinity.  I  wrote  to  him  and  he 
sent  word  back  that  if  I  would  come  on  he  would 
prove  to  me  that  he  had  a  big  thing,  well  worth 
looking  into. 

"  I  had  other  business  west,  and  so  at  once 
started  for  San  Francisco.  Your  uncle  had  given 
his  address  as  the  Golden  Nugget  House,  a  place 
I  afterward  learned  was  frequented  by  old-time 
miners  and  prospectors. 

"I  made  inquiries  at  the  Nugget  House  for 
your  uncle,  and  to  my  astonishment  learned  that 
he  had  disappeared  very  mysteriously  one  night, 
leaving  no  trace  behind  him." 


GOOD  CAUSE  FOR  ALARM          47 

"  What!"  cried  Paul,  springing  to  his  feet,  and 
Chet  was  too  astonished  to  speak. 

"I  do  not  wonder  that  you  are  astonished. 
Yes,  he  had  disappeared,  leaving  his  valise  and 
overcoat  behind  him. 

"I  thought  the  matter  so  queer  that  I  was  on 
the  point  of  notifying  the  police.  But  on  calling 
at  the  post  office  for  letters  I  received  one  from  him 
stating  that  he  was  sorry,  but  he  had  come  back 
to  the  place  in  question  and  found  it  not  what 
he  had  anticipated,  so  he  wouldn't  bother  me  any 
more." 

"I  don't  believe  he  came  back!"  ejaculated 
Chet.  "If  he  had  he  would  have  stopped  at  the 
ranch." 

"  I  agree  with  you." 

"  Have  you  that  letter?"  asked  Paul,  his  voice 
trembling  with  excitement. 

"  I  have." 

" 1  would  like  to  see  it,  please." 

"  Certainly."  And  Noel  Urner  brought  forth  a 
large  flat  pocketbook  from  which  he  extracted  the 
communication  in  question. 

Paul  took  it  to  the  light  and  examined  it  closely. 

"This  is  a  forgery!  Uncle  Barnaby  never 
wrote  it." 


48  THREE   YOUNG  RANCHMEN 

"Let  me   see,   Paul,"   ejaculated  Chet. 

He  also  examined  the  letter  with  as  much  care 
as  his  brother  had  displayed.  There  was  not  the 
slightest  doubt  of  it.  The  letter  was  not  gen 
uine. 

"It's  certainly  a  bad  state  of  affairs,"  said 
Noel  Urner.  "It  makes  the  disappearance  of 
your  uncle  look  decidedly  bad." 

"  It  looks  like  foul  play!  "  cried  Paul.  "  Why 
should  Uncle  Barnaby  leave  the  hotel  in  that 
fashion  if  all  was  perfectly  straight?  " 

"It's  like  as  not  some  mining  town  rascals 
got  hold  of  his  secret  and  then  put  him  out  of 
the  way,  so  that  they  might  profit  by  it,"  said 
Chet.  "There  are  plenty  of  fellows  mean  enough 
for  that." 

"  At  first  I  was  satisfied  by  the  receipt  of  the 
letter,"  continued  Noel  Urner.  "  But  the  more 
I  thought  over  the  matter  the  more  I  became  con 
vinced  that  something  was  wrong;  but  in  a  differ 
ent  way  from  what  you  think.  I  imagined  your 
uncle  had  found  other  speculators  to  go  in  with 
him  and  they  had  persuaded  him  to  cut  me  off. 
That  is  why  I  started  off,  after  settling  my  other 
business  in  California,  to  find  your  uncle  and 
learn  the  truth.  I  was  willing  to  lose  a  few  weeks' 


GOOD  CAUSE  FOR  ALARM  49 

time  out  here  looking    around,  even    if    it    didn't 

pay." 

"  We  are  very  glad  you  came  and  that  we 
found  you,"  answered  Paul.  "I  am  sorry  for 
only  one  thing,  that  Allen  is  not  here  to  meet 
you." 

"I  am  in  no  hurry  to  continue  my  journey; 
indeed,  I  do  not  see  how  I  can  without  a  horse. 
If  you  wish  I  will  remain  here  until  your  brother 
returns." 

"You  are  right  welcome  to  do  that,"  cried 
Chet.  "  As  for  not  having  a  horse,  you  are 
no  worse  off  than  ourselves,  for  we  are  with 
out  an  animal  of  any  kind,  outside  of  the 
cattle." 

"Then,  being  equally  bad  off,  we  ought  to 
make  good  friends,"  smiled  Noel  Urner.  "  I  shall 
like  staying  on  a  ranch  for  a  few  days  first  rate, 
and  you  can  rely  on  my  giving  you  all  the  assist 
ance  in  my  power  when  it  comes  to  finding  out 
the  fate  of  your  uncle." 

"We  can't  do  anything  until  Allen  returns," 
sighed  Paul. 

"Then  we  will  hope  that  your  brother  returns 
speedily,  and  with  good  news." 
4 


50  THREE  YOUNG  RANCHMEN 

4 'The  best  news  will  be  his  return  with  all  our 
horses,"  returned  Chet.  "We  can  do  nothing 
without  our  animals." 

Alas!  How  little  did  both  Chet  and  Paul  dream 
of  the  terrible  ordeal  through  which  Allen  was 
at  that  moment  passing! 


CHAPTER  VI. 
FROM  ONE  PERIL  TO  ANOTHER 

"T  AM  lost!      Nothing  can  save  rrte !  " 

Such  was  the  agonizing  thought  which 
rushed  into  Allen  Winthrop's  mind  as  he  felt 
himself  plunging  madly  downward  to  the  glitter 
ing  waters  far  beneath  him. 

It  must  be  confessed  that  the  otherwise  brave 
young  ranchman  was  fearfully  frightened  at  the 
dreadful  peril  which  confronted  him.  He  and 
his  faithful  mare  were  going  down,  and  certain 
death  seemed  inevitable. 

"Heaven  help  me!"  he  murmured  to  himself, 
and  shutting  his  teeth  hard,  clung  grimly  to  the 
saddle. 

Out  of  the  sunlight  into  the  gloom  and  mist 
below  descended  horse  and  rider. 

Scarcely  two  seconds  passed  and  then,  with 
a  resounding  splash,  the  animal  and  its  living 
burden  disappeared  beneath  the  surface  of  the  river 
and  out  of  the  sight  of  the  rascals  on  the  opposite 
side  of  the  canyon. 


52  THREE   YOUNG   RANCHMEN 

"That  settles  him,"  cried  one  of  the  horse 
thieves,  grimly.  "  He  was  a  fool  to  follow  us." 

"Maybe  he'll  escape,"  ventured  a  second. 

"Wot!  Arfter  sech  a  plunge?"  returned  the 
first  speaker,  sarcastically.  "  Wall,  hardly,  ter  my 
reckonin'." 

They  shifted  their  positions  on  the  brink  of 
the  opening,  but  try  their  best,  could  see  noth 
ing  more  of  the  young  man  or  the  mare. 

It  was  now  growing  darker  rapidly,  and  fifteen 
minutes  later,  satisfied  that  Allen  had  really  taken 
a  fall  to  his  death,  they  continued  on  their  way. 

And  poor  Allen? 

Down,  down,  down  sank  the  mare  and  her 
hapless  rider,  until  the  very  bottom  of  the  river 
was  struck. 

The  swiftly  flowing  tide  caught  both  in  its  grasp, 
tumbled  them  over  and  over  and  sent  them  spin 
ning  onward.  Allen's  grasp  on  the  saddle 
relaxed,  and  as  it  did  so  the  young  man  lost  con 
sciousness. 

How  long  he  remained  in  this  state  Allen  never 
knew.  When  he  came  to  he  was  lying  among 
brush,  partly  in  the  water  and  partly  out. 

He  attempted  to  sit  up  and  in  doing  so,  slipped 
back  beyond  his  depth.  But  the  instinct  of  self- 


FROM  ONE  PERIL  TO  ANOTHER       53 

preservation  still  remained  with  him,  and  he  made 
a  frantic  clutch  at  the  brush  and  succeeded  in 
pulling  himself  high  and  dry  upon  a  grassy 
bank. 

Here  he  lay  for  several  minutes  exhausted. 
He  could  not  think,  for  his  head  felt  as  if  it 
was  swimming  around  in  a  balloon. 

At  last  he  began  to  come  to  himself  and  after 
a  bit  sat  up  to  gaze  about  him.  But  all  was 
dark  and  he  could  see  little  or  nothing. 

He  remembered  the  great  plunge  he  had  taken 
and  wondered  what  had  become  of  Lilly.  He 
called  her  with  all  the  strength  of  his  enfeebled 
lungs,  but  received  no  response. 

44  She  must  have  been  killed,"  he  thought. 
"Poor  Lilly!  But  had  it  not  been  for  the  pro 
tection  her  body  gave  me  it  is  more  than  likely 
that  my  life  would  have  been  ended,  too!  "  and 
he  shuddered  to  think  of  his  narrow  escape. 

It  was  nearly  half  an  hour  before  Allen  felt 
strong  enough  to  rise  up.  His  head  felt  light, 
and  for  a  while  he  staggered  like  an  intoxicated 
man. 

He  knew  he  was  down  in  the  canyon,  and 
some  distance  below  where  the  bridge  had  been. 
He  wondered  how  he  could  ascend  to  the  top 


54  THREE   YOUNG  RANCHMEN 

of  the  rocks  which  presented  themselves  on  the 
two  sides. 

"I  can't  climb  up  in  this  darkness,"  he  said 
half  aloud.  "I  might  slip  and  break  my  neck. 
I  had  better  walk  along  and  hunt  for  some  nat 
ural  upward  slope." 

He  started  off  along  the  river  side,  the  top 
of  the  canyon  towering  nearly  a  hundred  feet 
above  his  head  as  he  proceeded.  The  opening 
gradually  grew  narrower,  and  with  this  the  dis 
tance  between  the  rocks  and  the  water  decreased, 
until  there  was  hardly  room  left  for  Allen  to 
walk. 

"I  must  have  made  a  mistake,"  was  the  men 
tal  conclusion  which  he  arrived  at.  "I  should 
have  gone  up  the  river  instead  of  down.  The 
chances  are  that  I  can't  go  over  a  hundred  feet 
further,  if  as  far." 

Soon  Allen  came  to  a  halt.  The  ground  be 
tween  the  wall  of  the  canyon  and  the  water 
ceased  just  before  him.  Beyond  the  steep  and 
bare  rocks  ran  directly  downward  into  the  stream. 

4 'That  settles  it,"  he  muttered,  in  great  dis 
appointment.  "  All  this  traveling  for  nothing. 
And  it's  getting  night  over  head,  too!  It's  a 
shame!'' 


FROM  ONE  PERIL  TO  ANOTHER       55 

Allen  paused  to  rest,  for  in  his  weak  condition 
the  walk  had  tired  him  greatly.  Then  he  started 
to  retrace  his  steps. 

Hardly  had  he  taken  a  yard's  advance,  when 
his  left  foot  slipped  upon  a  round  stone.  He  was 
thrown  over  on  his  side,  and  before  he  could  save 
himself  went  plunging  headlong  into  the  stream ! 

He  essayed  by  every  means  in  his  power  to 
regain  the  bank,  but  in  vain.  The  current  of  the 
river  was  extra  strong  at  this  point  —  the  width  of 
the  course  having  narrowed  down  —  and  before  he 
could  clutch  the  first  thing  he  was  carried  to 
where  nothing  but  the  steep  and  slippery  rocks 
presented  themselves. 

Vainly  he  put  out  his  hands  to  stay  his  progress, 
vainly  he  tried  by  every  means  in  his  power  to 
obtain  some  sort  of  hold  on  the  rocks. 

And  now  the  surface  of  the  river  grew  blacker 
as  the  rocks  on  both  sides  began,  seemingly,  to 
close  in  over  his  head. 

He  was  almost  tempted  to  cry  out  for  help,  and 
took  a  breath  for  that  purpose,  but  the  sound  was 
not  uttered.  What  would  be  the  use?  Not  a 
soul  would  hear  him. 

On  and  on  went  the  young  ranchman,  the 
waters  growing  more  cold  each  instant  and  the 


56  THREE   YOUNG   RANCHMEN 

prospects  more  gloomy.  He  was  half  tempted  to 
give  himself  up  for  lost. 

It  was  an  easy  matter  to  keep  himself  on  the 
surface,  for  he  was  really  a  good  swimmer,  but 
now  the  current  was  so  strong  that  he  could 
scarcely  touch  either  side  of  its  rocky  confines  as 
he  was  swept  along,  he  knew  not  where.  Allen 
had  never  explored  this  stream,  and  this  to  him 
made  the  immediate  future  look  blacker  than 
ever. 

"  If  it  ends  in  some  sort  of  a  sink  hole,  I'm  a 
goner  sure,"  he  thought.  "  But  I  never  heard  of 
such  a  hole  up  here  among  the  mountains,  so  I 
won't  give  up  just  yet." 

Hardly  had  the  thought  occupied  his  mind 
when,  on  looking  up,  he  saw  the  last  trace  of 
evening  fade  from  sight.  The  river  had  entered  a 
cavern!  He  was  now  underground! 

It  may  well  be  imagined  with  what  dismay 
Allen,  stout-hearted  as  he  was,  viewed  the  turn  of 
the  situation.  Here  he  was  being  borne  swiftly 
along  on  an  underground  river,  he  knew  not 
where.  It  was  a  situation  calculated  to  chill  the 
bravest  of  hearts. 

All  was  pitch  black  around  and  overhead ;  be 
neath  was  the  silent  and  cold  water,  and  the  only 


FROM   ONE   PERIL  TO   ANOTHER  57 

sound  that  fell  upon  his  ears  was  the  rushing 
along  of  the  stream. 

As  well  as  he  was  able,  Allen  put  out  his  hands 
before  him,  to  ward  off  the  shock  of  a  sudden 
contact  of  any  sort,  for  he  did  not  know  but  that 
he  might  be  dashed  upon  a  jagged  rock  at  any 
instant.  Then  he  prayed  earnestly  for  deliver 
ance. 

On  and  on  he  swept,  the  stream  several  times 
making  turns,  first  to  one  side  and  then  to  the 
other.  Once  his  hand  came  brushing  up  to  a 
series  of  rocks,  but  before  he  could  grasp  them  he 
was  hurled  onward  in  an  awful  blackness. 

A  quarter  of  an  hour  went  by  —  a  time  that  to 
the  young  man  seemed  like  an  age — and  during 
that  period  he  surmised  that  he  must  have  traveled 
a  mile  or  more. 

Then  the  current  appeared  to  slacken  up,  and 
he  had  a  feeling  come  over  him  as  if  the  space 
overhead  had  become  larger. 

' '  This  must  be  an  underground  lake, ' '  he  thought. 
"  Now  if  I Ah,  bottom!  " 

His  thought  came  to  a  sudden  termination,  for 
his  feet  had  touched  upon  a  sloping  rock  but  a 
few  feet  below  the  surface  of  the  stream.  The 
rock  sloped  to  his  right,  and,  moving  in  that 


58  THREE   YOUNG   RANCHMEN 

direction,  Allen,  to  his  great  joy,  soon  emerged 
upon  a  stony  shore. 

He  took  several  cautious  steps  in  as  many  dif 
ferent  directions  and  felt  nothing,  He  was  truly 
high  and  dry  at  last. 

This  fact  was  a  cheering  one,  but  there  was 
still  a  dismal  enough  outlook.  Where  was  he  and 
how  would  he  ever  be  able  to  gain  the  outer 
world  once  more  ? 


CHAPTER   VII. 
THE  CAVE  IN  THE  MOUNTAIN 

ALLEN    was    too    exhausted    to    do    more    than 
move  about  cautiously.     He  felt  for  the  edge 
of  the   stream,  and  then  moved  away  from  it  for 
several  yards. 

His  hand  came  in  contact  with  a  dried  bush 
and  several  sticks  of  wood,  all  of  which  had 
probably  floated  in  at  one  time  on  the  stream,  and 
these  at  once  made  him  think  of  a  fire.  What  a 
relief  a  bit  of  light  would  be! 

In  his  life  on  the  long  range,  Allen  had  found 
a  watertight  matchbox  very  useful.  He  felt  in 
his  pocket  and  found  the  article  still  safe.  He 
opened  it  with  fingers  that  trembled  a  little ;  but 
the  matches  were  still  dry,  and  in  a  trice  one  was 
struck  and  lit. 

He  held  the  match  under  some  of  the  driest 
of  the  brush,  and  had  the  satisfaction  of  seeing 
it  blaze  up.  He  piled  the  stuff  up,  and  on  top 
placed  several  heavy  sticks.  Soon  he  had  a  fire 
which  blazed  merrily. 

(59) 


60  THREE   YOUNG   RANCHMEN 

The  light  illumined  the  cavern,  casting  a  ruddy 
glare  on  the  rocks  and  the  rippling  water.  It 
was  a  weird  and  uncanny  scene,  and  he  shivered 
involuntarily.  He  would  have  given  a  good  deal 
to  have  been  in  the  outer  world  once  more. 

Allen  saw  that  the  river  had  simply  widened 
at  the  spot,  and  that  a  hundred  yards  further 
on  it  flowed  into  a  narrow  channel,  as  before. 
Only  on  the  side  which  he  occupied  was  there 
anything  in  the  shape  of  a  shore.  Opposite  the 
rocks  stood  straight  up,  and  were  covered  with 
moss  and  slime. 

'*  If  I  am  to  get  out,  it  must  be  from  this  shore 
upward,"  Allen  thought  as  he  surveyed  the 
situation.  "I  can  never  get  back  on  the  river. 
One  could  never  row  even  a  boat  against  that 
current." 

The  shore  was  not  more  than  thirty  or  forty 
feet  wide.  It  was  backed  up  by  rocks,  but  Allen 
was  glad  to  see  that  they  did  not  present  an  un 
broken  surface.  There  were  numerous  fissures, 
and  in  one  place  the  opening  was  a  dozen  feet  in 
width. 

Selecting  the  brightest  of  the  firebrands  Allen, 
left  the  vicinity  of  the  stream  and  started  to  ex 
plore  this  opening.  He  was  in  great  hopes  that 


THE  CAVE  IN  THE  MOUNTAIN  6 1 

it  would  lead  upward  and  that  he  would  thus  be 
enabled  to  climb  out  of  his  prison  —  for  to  him 
that  damp,  dark  place  was  nothing  less. 

The  opening  was  rilled  with  loose  stones,  and 
Allen  had  to  be  careful  for  fear  of  spraining  an 
ankle,  or  worse.  He  moved  along  slowly,  halt 
ing  every  few  steps  to  survey  the  scene  ahead. 

Twenty  yards  distant  from  the  entrance  to  the 
fissure  Allen  came  to  a  turn  to  the  left.  Here  was 
a  narrow  opening  just  large  enough  for  him  to 
pass  through.  Beyond  was  another  cavern-like 
spot  not  over  ten  yards  in  width  and  height  and 
of  interminable  length. 

Fearful  of  losing  his  way,  Allen  hesitated  about 
advancing.  But  presently  he  plucked  up  courage, 
and,  holding  down  his  firebrand,  he  allowed  it 
to  burn  up  again  and  then  proceeded  along  the 
chamber. 

The  flooring  was  uneven  and  covered  with  loose 
rocks  and  stones.  Huge  stalactites  hung  down 
from  overhead,  and  in  several  spots  the  moisture 
dripped  down  with  weird  hollow  sounds. 

"  I  would  like  to  know  how  far  underground 
I  really  am,"  was  Allen's  earnest  mental  specula 
tion  as  he  came  to  a  halt  beside  a  tiny  stream  which 
flowed  from  one  side  of  the  cavern  to  the  other. 


62  THREE  YOUNG  RANCHMEN 

tklf  there  was  only  some  slope  which  led  upward 
it  would  be  more  encouraging.  But  it's  about 
as  flat  as  a  bit  of  prairie  land." 

Allen  hopped  over  the  stream,  and,  assured 
that  he  could  easily  retrace  his  steps  if  necessary, 
continued  on  his  search,  his  firebrand  held  over 
his  head. 

It  was  a  discouraging  journey  when  the  end  was 
reached.  Before  him  arose  a  solid  wall  not  less 
than  twenty  feet  in  height,  at  which  elevation  the 
cavern  appeared  to  continue.  Allen  gazed  up  at 
the  wall  with  a  hopeless  look  on  his  face. 

"Humph!  How  in  the  name  of  creation  am 
I  to  climb  up  there?  "  he  muttered.  ki  It's  as  steep 
as  the  side  of  a  house  and  twice  as  slippery.  If 
I  can't  find  some  sort  of  stepping  places  I  reckon 
I'm  beaten  and  booked  to  go  back  to  where  I 
started  from." 

Waving  the  firebrand  to  make  it  burn  the 
brighter,  Allen  began  to  scrutinize  the  face  of 
the  wall  before  him.  He  started  at  one  end, 
resolved  that  not  a  foot  of  the  surface  should 
escape  him. 

He  had  traveled  along  some  fifteen  feet  when  he 
came  to  something  that  made  him  start  back  in 
astonishment. 


THE  CAVE  IN   THE   MOUNTAIN  63 

"Great  Caesar!  " 

Before  him  were  a  number  of  letters,  cut  in 
smooth  rock,  which  was  apparently  quite  soft. 
The  letters  read  : 

BARNABY.  WINTHROP'S   MINE. 

Allen  stared  at  the  letters  on  the  rock  as  if  he 
had  not  spelled  out  the  words  aright.  But  there 
was  no  mistake.  They  really  read  "Barnaby 
Winthrop's  Mine." 

"Well,  if  this  isn't  the  most  wonderful  dis 
covery  ever  made!"  ejaculated  the  young  man, 
finally.  "  So  this  is  the  place  that  Uncle 
Barnaby  talked  of  as  being  the  richest  claim  in 
Idaho.  I  wonder  how  he  ever  found  it?" 

While  Allen  stood  close  to  the  rocky  wall  he 
reached  the  conclusion  that  his  uncle  must  have 
come  there  by  the  river,  but  whether  a  volun 
tary  or  involuntary  passenger  he  could  not  de 
cide.  He  knew  Uncle  Barnaby  was  exceedingly 
fearless,  but  was  there  any  human  being  who 
would  take  the  awful  risk  of  a  journey  on  that 
underground  river,  not  knowing  to  where  it  led? 

"He  must  have  been  caught,  just  as  I  was," 
said  Allen  to  himself,  at  last.  "  And  that 


64  THREE  YOUNG  RANCHMEN 

being    so,    the   question    is,   how   did    he    manage, 
after  he  was  once   here,   to   get  out?" 

While  Allen  was  debating  this  question  he 
cast  his  eyes  about  for  some  means  of  scaling 
the  wall.  He  walked  along  its  face  until  the 
very  end  was  reached,  and  there,  to  his  joy,  dis 
covered  a  dozen  rudely  cut  niches,  some  of  them 
were  close  together  and  others  nearly  a  yard 
apart,  but,  with  the  end  of  the  firebrand  be 
tween  his  teeth,  he  had  no  great  difficulty  in 
pulling  himself  up  to  the  level  of  the  flooring 
of  the  cavern  above. 

Allen  now  found  himself  in  an  opening  not 
over  fifty  yards  square.  The  roofing  was  hardly 
out  of  reach,  and  the  young  man  saw  at  a 
glance  that  the  quartz  rock  was  full  of  virgin  gold 
and  silver.  It  was  a  veritable  bonanza. 

"A  million  dollars  or  more!"  he  cried,  en 
thusiastically.  "  Uncle  Barnaby  struck  it  rich  for 
once.  I  wonder  why  he  don't  come  back  and 
begin  operations.  It's  queer  I  didn't  get  word 
from  him." 

Allen  could  not  help  but  spend  some  time  in 
looking  around,  so  fascinating  was  the  sight  of 
the  precious  metal  as  it  shimmered  here  and  there 
in  the  ruddy  glare  of  the  torch.  His  uncle 


THE   CAVE  IN   THE   MOUNTAIN  65 

would  be  rich  indeed,  and  he  knew  that  he  and 
his  brothers  would  not  be  forgotten  by  their 
generous  guardian. 

But  soon  the  thought  of  escape  came  back  to 
him.  Was  there  an  opening  to  the  outer  world, 
or  was  he  entombed  alive? 

At  the  far  end  of  the  chamber,  after  a  long 
search,  Allen  came  to  a  narrow  passageway, 
which  he  was  compelled  to  enter  on  hands  and 
knees.  It  led  upward  and  he  had  great  hopes 
that  ere  long  he  would  emerge  into  the  outer 
air  once  more. 

But  he  was  doomed  to  disappointment.  The 
passageway  led  around  numerous  curves,  and  long 
before  the  end  was  reached  his  torch  went  out,  and 
he  was  left  in  total  darkness.  He  crawled  on  and 
on,  until  finally  he  brought  up  against  a  solid  wall. 

Much  frightened,  he  lit  a  match  to  survey  the 
situation.  Saving  in  his  rear,  the  rocks  arose 
on  all  sides.  But  overhead  was  open,  and  up 
he  went,  very  much  as  a  sweep  might  climb  a 
half-choked  up  chimney,  up  through  weeds  and 
brush  and  dirt. 

He  was  half  smothered  by  the  dust  which 
filled  his  nose  and  mouth,  and  he  was  forced  to 
keep  his  eyes  closed  for  fear  of  being  blinded. 


66  THREE   YOUNG  RANCHMEN 

At  last,  after  he  was  nearly  ready  to  give  up 
in  despair,  he  felt  a  breath  of  cooling  air  blow 
over  him.  This  was  encouraging,  and  he  com 
menced  to  climb  harder  than  ever.  Up  and  up 
he  went,  until  suddenly  opening  his  eyes,  he 
found  himself  at  the  top  of  the  hole,  and  look 
ing  almost  directly  into  the  face  of  the  rising 
sun! 


CHAPTER   VIII. 
INTO    A    SNAKE'S    NEST 

ALL   night    underground!"    murmured    Allen 
to    himself,  as   he    surveyed   the    scene    be 
fore  him  in  intense  surprise.     "  Heaven  be  thanked 
for   my   escape  !  ' ' 

His  climb  had  so  exhausted  him  that  for  a 
long  while  he  sat  on  the  ground,  unable  to  move. 
He  felt  both  cold  and  hungry,  but  paid  no  heed. 
It  was  blessing  enough  for  the  time  being  to 
be  safe. 

When  he  felt  stronger,  he  began  to  speculate 
upon  where  he  was  and  how  far  he  would 
have  to  travel  to  reach  the  ranch.  The  face  of 
the  country  looked  new  and  strange  to  him. 

"I  must  mark  this  spot,  so  I  can  find  the 
mine  again,"  he  thought.  "Uncle  Barnaby  may 
not  know  of  this  opening." 

Close  at  hand  was  a  tall  tree,  and  upon  this 
Allen  cut  his  initials  in  large  letters.  Then  he 
walked  to  all  the  trees  in  the  vicinity  and  cut 
hands  on  them  pointing  to  the  first  tree. 

(67) 


68  THREE  YOUNG  RANCHMEN 

."Now,  I  reckon  it's  all  right,"  he  said  to 
himself.  "And  the  next  best  thing  is  to  strike 
out  for  home." 

Climbing  the  tree,  Allen  took  his  bearings  as 
well  as  he  was  able,  and  then  struck  off  as  rap 
idly  as  his  tired  legs  and  sore  feet  would  permit. 

He  had  covered  perhaps  half  a  mile  when  he 
came  to  a  steep  decline.  He  tried  to  proceed 
down  this  with  care,  but  slipped  and  rolled 
with  a  crash  through  the  brush  to  the  bottom. 

It  was  a  bad  fall  and  hurt  him  not  a  little, 
but  that  was  "not  the  worst  of  it. 

The  passage  through  the  brush  aroused  half 
a  score  of  snakes,  some  small  and  others  a  yard 
and  over  in  length,  and  now  they  came  after 
him,  hissing  angrily  and  several  preparing  to 
dart  at  him. 

It  was  small  wonder  that  Allen  gave  a  yell. 
He  knew  the  reptiles  were,  many  of  them,  poison 
ous,  and  he  had  not  the  first  thing  with  which 
to  defend  himself.  He  leaped  back  to  retreat, 
but  only  to  find  himself  surrounded. 

No  one  who  has  never  been  surrounded  by 
snakes  can  realize  the  terrible  feeling  which 
awakens  in  one's  breast  at  such  an  experience. 
It  is  a  feeling  that,  once  realized,  is  never 


INTO  A   SNAKE'S  NEST  69 

forgotten.  Allen  said  afterward  he  felt  as  if 
his  hair  had  lifted  from  his  head  and  his  heart 
had  had  a  bath  in  ice  water. 

"  Great  Scott  I  "  were  the  words  which  es 
caped  from  his  lips.  "This  is  the  worst  yet!" 

He    had    no     time     to     say    more,    for    at    that 

moment    one    of   the    snakes    leaped     through   the 

.air    directly    for    his    hand.      He    threw    his    hand 

up,    caught    the   reptile  by  the   tail    and    flung  it, 

hissing,    among   its    fellows. 

Then  he  essayed  to  leap  over  those  in  front  of 
him.  But  before  he  could  do  so  one  wound  itself 
around  the  instep  of  his  boot.  It  was  a  poison 
ous  snake.  Allen  saw  that  at  a  glance.  He  tried 
to  kick  it  off,  but  missed  it. 

Then  out  darted  the  terrible  fang  and  up  came 
that  ugly  head,  with  diamond-like  eyes,  toward 
the  young  man's  knee  ! 

For  one  brief  second  Allen  fancied  his  last 
hour  on  earth  had  come.  A  single  bite  from 
that  snake  and  all  would  be  over,  for  it  would 
be  all  out  of  the  question  to  get  rid  of  the 
poison. 

But  with  a  strength  and  courage  born  of  despair 
he  bent  down,  and,  reaching  out,  caught  the  rep 
tile  around  the  neck.  The  bright  eyes  almost 


70  THREE   YOUNG   RANCHMEN 

paralyzed  his  nerve,  and  he  was  compelled  to 
turn  from  them  in  order  to  accomplish  his  pur 
pose. 

Holding  the  snake  with  a  grasp  of  iron,  he 
leaped  out  of  the  circle  of  reptiles.  Then  he  bent 
down  and  forcing  the  snake's  head  against  a 
rock,  ground  it  to  pieces  under  his  heel. 

It  was  a  highly  dangerous  bit  of  work,  and 
when  it  was  over  the  great  beads  of  perspiration 
stood  out  on  his  forehead.  To  him  it  was  as  if 
the  last  few  seconds  had  been  an  age. 

The  other  snakes  had  not  followed  him,  but, 
nevertheless,  he  lost  no  time  in  leaving  the  spot 
on  a  run.  Five  minutes  later  he  was  nearly  a 
quarter  of  a  mile  from  the  vicinity. 

He  had  gone  at  right  angles  to  the  course  he 
imagined  would  take  him  back  to  the  ranch,  and 
now  he  found  he  must  make  a  detour  around  a 
hill  covered  with  cactus  and  other  prickly  plants. 

By  this  time  Allen  was  thoroughly  worn  out 
and  hungry  to  the  last  degree.  Bitterly  he  re 
gretted  the  loss  of  his  favorite  mare,  Lilly. 

tk  If  I  had  her  I  imagine  I  could  strike  home 
inside  of  a  couple  of  hours,"  he  said  to  himself. 
"But  on  foot  it  will  take  me  until  noon  or 
longer. ' ' 


INTO  A   SNAKE'S  NEST  71 

But  there  was  no  use  to  grumble,  and  after 
resting  a  spell  the  young  man  again  started  on  his 
weary  tramp  through  thicket  and  brush,  over 
hills  and  through  hollows.  More  than  once  he 
stumbled  and  fell,  and  it  was  all  he  could  do  at 
times  to  regain  his  feet. 

"It's  no  fun  to  be  afoot  on  the  long  range," 
he  soliloquized.  "  A  mile  seems  three  times  as 
long  as  when  on  horseback." 

But  there  was  no  help  for  it;  he  must  go  on, 
and  on  he  went,  his  feet  now  so  sore  in  his  wet 
boots  that  he  could  hardly  take  a  regular  step. 

As  he  proceeded,  he  looked  about  for  some 
thing  to  eat,  but  outside  of  a  few  half-green  ber 
ries,  found  nothing.  Birds  were  numerous,  but 
without  firearms  they  were  out  of  his  reach. 

A  less  experienced  person  than  Allen  would 
have  been  much  frightened  by  the  solitude  and 
loneliness.  But  the  young  ranchman  was  accus 
tomed  to  being  out  alone  for  days  at  a  time, 
and  he  did  not  mind  it.  He  wished  to  get  home 
more  for  bodily  comforts  than  aught  else. 

At  last,  when  Allen  was  beginning  to  con 
gratulate  himself  that  the  roughest  portion  of  the 
journey  would  soon  be  over  he  came  face  to  face 
with  a  most  unexpected  difficulty.  Emerging 


72  THREE   YOUNG   RANCHMEN 

from  a  thicket,  he  found  himself  at  the  very 
brink  of  a  gully  all  of  ten  feet  wide  and  of 
great  depth. 

"Humph!  "  he  muttered,  as  he  came  to  a  halt. 
"I  can't  jump  that.  How  am  I  to  get  over?" 

This  question   was  not  easy  to  answer. 

Looking  up  and  down  the  opening,  no  bridge, 
either  natural  or  artificial,  was  presented  to 
view. 

"  I'll  have  to  cut  a  pole  and  use  that,"  he 
thought.  "There  is  no  use  to  tramp  up  and 
down  looking  for  a  spot  to  cross." 

His  pocketknife  was  still  safe,  and  he  drew 
it  out  and  went  to  work  with  a  will  on  a  sap 
ling  growing  some  distance  from  the  gully's  edge. 

The  sapling  had  just  been  laid  low  and  Allen 
was  on  the  point  of  dragging  it  away  when 
sounds  broke  upon  his  ear  that  filled  him  with 
surprise.  He  heard  human  voices,  and  one  of 
them  was  that  of  a  man  he  had  encountered 
on  the  road,  the  fellow  who  had  been  riding 
Chefs  horse! 

"  I  reckon  you  have  missed  the  road,  Saul," 
said  the  man  in  a  disgusted  tone. 

"No,  I  ain't  missed  nuthin',"  was  the  reply. 
"  So  don't  you  go  for  to  croak  so  much,  Darry." 


INTO  A   SNAKE'S  NEST  73 

- 

•'Well,  we  don't  appear  to  be  makin'  much 
headway,"  growled  the  fellow  addressed  as  Darry 

"  We'll  come  out  all  right,  never  fear.  It's  this 
yere  blamed  gully  bothers  me.  We  might  git  over 
afoot,  but  we  can't  cross  it  on  the  hosses." 

Allen  crouched  back  behind  a  bush,  and  a 
moment  later  the  two  men  appeared  in  the  open 
ing  near  the  gully.  The  fellow  called  Darry 
still  rode  Chet's  horse,  while  he  addressed  as 
Saul  was  astride  of  Paul's  animal.  Behind  the 
pair  came  a  tall  negro,  riding  a  mustang  and 
leading  two  others,  little  animals  looking  much 
the  worse  for  constant  and  hard  usage. 

"  Dis  yere  ditch  doan'  seem  ter  git  no  narrower, 
nohow,"  said  the  colored  man,  with  a  good- 
natured  grin.  "I  dun  racken  we  might  as  well 
build  a  bridge  an  done  with  it." 

"By  the  boots,  but  I  reckon  Jeff  is  about  half 
right,"  cried  Darry.  "This  split  may  last  clear 
across  the  hill." 

"It's  not  so  easy  to  build  a  bridge,"  grumbled 
he  called  Saul,  who  appeared  to  be  the  leader  of 
the  trio.  "We  ain't  got  no  axes." 

"Well,  I  move  we  take  a  rest,  anyway,"  said 
Darry.  "I'm  tired  of  riding  a  strange  hoss  over 
these  yere  hills." 


74  THREE   YOUNG   RANCHMEN 

44  All  right,  we'll  lay  off  and  have  a  bite  of  the 
stuff  in  Jeff's  haversack,"  replied  the  leader  of 
the  crowd 

They  dismounted  not  over  two  rods  from  where 
Allen  lay  hidden  in  the  brush,  hardly  daring  to 
breathe.  Being  unarmed  and  knowing  the  temper 
of  the  rascals  only  too  well,  the  young  man  kept 
himself  covered  and  made  not  the  slightest 
sound. 

The  negro  brought  forth  an  old  army  haver 
sack  and  from  it  produced  some  crackers,  jerked 
meat,  and  several  other  articles.  Soon  the  trio 
were  eating  voraciously. 

The  horses  had  been  tied  to  several  trees  in 
the  vicinity,  and  while  the  men  were  eating  and 
talking  in  low  tones,  Allen  conceived  the  idea  of 
gaining  possession  of  one  of  the  animals  and 
riding  off  with  it.  He  knew  it  would  do  no  good 
to  confront  the  thieves  unarmed. 

44  I'll  get  on  Paul's  horse,"  he  thought,  "and 
if  I  can,  I'll  take  Chefs  animal  with  me.  Then 
I'll  have  their  horses  back,  even  if  I  won't  have 
my  own." 

Watching  for  a  chance,  when  the  backs  of 
the  men  were  turned.  Allen  crept  from  his  cover 
and  wormed  his  way  toward  Paul's  horse.  His 


INTO   A   SNAKE'S  NEST  75 

knife  was  in  his  hand,  and  noiselessly  he  cut  the 
halter.  Another  cut  and  Chefs  animal  was  also 
free. 

The  horses  stamped  as  they  recognized  Allen, 
who  always  made  pets  of  all  in  the  stable.  Then 
Jasper  let  out  a  loud  neigh  of  welcome. 

The  sound  reached  the  ears  of  the  leader  of 
the  horse  thieves.  He  sprang  to  his  feet,  and  a 
second  later,  Allen  was  discovered! 


CHAPTER    IX. 
A  VISITOR  AT  THE  RANCH 

LET  us  once  more  go  back  to  the  ranch,  where 
Chet  .and  Paul,  as  well  as  the  newcomer, 
Noel  Urner,  anxiously  awaited  Allen's  return. 

The  night  had  been  a  long  one  to  the  two  boys, 
neither  of  whom  had  slept  a  whole  hour  at  a  time. 
As  Chet  expressed  it,  "  they  felt  it  in  their  bones  " 
that  something  was  wrong. 

At  daybreak  both  rushed  up  to  the  roof  of  the 
ranch  house,  and  with  a  field  glass  which  Mr. 
Winthrop  had  left  them,  scanned  eagerly  in  all 
directions. 

"  Not  a  man  or  horse  in  sight,"  said  Chet  in 
deep  disappointment.  "  The  chase  must  have 
been  a  long  one  indeed." 

"  Like  as  not  Allen  has  gone  on  to  some  town," 
rejoined  Paul.  "But  he  ought  to  be  back  by 
noon ;  he  knows  we  will  be  anxious  to  hear  how 

he  made   out." 
(76) 


A  VISITOR  AT  THE  RANCH  77 

The  two  went  below  to  meet  Noel,  who  had  just 
finished  dressing.  They  set  to  work  and  a  smok 
ing  hot  breakfast  was  soon  on  the  table. 

44  Well,  I  see  nothing  for  me  to  do  but  to  calmly 
wait  for  your  brother's  return,"  said  the  young 
man  from  New  York.  "  I  don't  want  to  start  out 
anywhere  on  foot,  especially  as  I  know  nothing  of 
the  roads." 

"Yes,  don't  go  anywhere  till  Allen  gets  back," 
said  Paul.  "  I  want  you  to  tell  him  yourself  all 
you  know  concerning  Uncle  Barnaby." 

The  morning  dragged  by  slowly,  and  at  the 
passage  of  each  hour  the  boys  grew  more  anxious. 

"It's  a  dangerous  proceeding,  this  chasing 
horse  thieves,"  explained  Chet  to  Noel  Urner. 
"A  fellow  is  apt  to  get  shot,  unless  he  is  care 
ful.  That  is  what  worries  us  so." 

**  Unless  something  turns  up  right  after  dinner, 
I'm  going  off  on  foot  with  my  rifle,"  put  in  Paul. 
"I  may  not  discover  anything,  but  it  will  ease 
my  mind  trying  to  do  something." 

It  lacked  half  an  hour  of  noon  when  the  boys 
heard  a  cheery  voice  from  the  road  hail  them. 
They  looked  out  and  beheld  Ike  Watson,  the 
hunter,  from  Gold  Fork,  resting  in  the  saddle  just 
outside  of  the  semi-stockade. 


78  THREE  YOUNG  RANCHMEN 

"Whoop!  Hullo  thar!"  cried  the  old  fellow, 
who  was  hearty  in  both  mind  and  body  and  full 
of  fun.  "  Wot's  the  meanin'  o'  two  healthy  boys 
a-bummin'  around  the  ranch  sech  an  all-fired  fine 
day  as  this  yere?  " 

"  O,  Ike;  I'm  so  glad  you  happened  along!" 
cried  Paul,  as  he  ran  out  to  meet  him.  "  We 
were  hoping  some  friend  would  come." 

"Thetso?"  Ike  Watson's  face  grew  sober  on 
the  instant.  "  Wot's  the  trouble?  " 

"  Our  horses  have  been  stolen " 

"Gee,  shoo!  Hoss  thieves  ag'in!  Wall,  I'll  be 
eternally  bio  wed!  "  exclaimed  Ike  Watson,  in  a 
rage.  "  Who  be  they,  Paul?  " 

44  WTe  don't  know.      Allen  has  gone  after  them." 

"  How  many  animiles  did  they  git?  " 

"Only  two  —  that  is  here — Chefs  and  mine. 
But  they  also  stole  the  horse  belonging  to  this 
gentleman,  Mr.  Noel  Urner.  Mr.  Urner,  this  is 
our  friend,  Ike  Watson." 

"  Hoss  thieves  is  worse  'n  pizen,"  growled  Wat 
son,  as  he  sprang  down  and  gave  Noel  Urner  a 
hearty  shake  of  the  hand.  "Thar  ought  ter  be 
a  law  to  hang  every  one  o'  'em,  say  I! 

"Allen  went  off  yesterday  afternoon,  and  as 
we  have  not  heard  from  him  since,  we  are  get- 


A   VISITOR  AT  THE  RANCH  79 

ting  anxious,"  put  in  Chet.  "  We  would  have 
followed,  but  we  haven't  a  single  beast  left  in 
the  barn." 

"  I  see.      Which  way  did  the  thieves  go?" 

"  Allen  took  the  trail  over  the  brook,"  replied 
Paul. 

"Humph!"  Ike  Watson  scratched  his  head 
for  a  moment.  "  Wot's  ter  prevent  me  goin'  after 
him,  boys?  " 

"Will   you?"  asked  Paul  eagerly. 

"  Sartin.  I  ain't  got  nuthin'  ter  do,  an'  if  I 
had,  I  reckon  I  could  drop  it  putty  quick  ter  do  a 
favor  fer  Granville  Winthrop's  orphans.  Give 
me  a  bite  ter  eat  an'  I'll  be  off  ter  onct." 

"Are  you  sufficiently  armed?"  questioned 
Noel  Urner. 

"Armed?  Well,  I  reckon,"  and  from  his  belt 
Ike  WTatson  produced  an  old  '49  horse  pistol  nearly 
two  feet  long.  "  Thet  air's  my  best  friend, 
ban-in'  the  rifle." 

Chet  soon  had  dinner  for  the  hunter,  which 
was  as  quickly  devoured,  and  then,  after  re 
ceiving  some  of  the  particulars  of  the  case  on 
hand,  Ike  Watson  started  off. 

"You'll  hear  from  me  before  another  sun  smiles 
on  ye!"  he  called  back.  "An'  don't  ye  worry 


8o  THREE   YOUNG   RANCHMEN 

too  much  in  the  between  time!"  And  he  then 
disappeared. 

The  boys  felt  much  more  comfortable  after 
Watson  had  started  off  to  hunt  up  Allen.  They 
knew  the  old  man  would  do  all  in  his  power 
to  help  their  elder  brother,  no  matter  in  what 
difficulty  he  might  find  him. 

"A  rather  odd  character,  truly,"  observed 
Noel,  as  they  again  passed  into  the  house. 

"Yes,  but  with  a  heart  of  steel  and  gold," 
returned  Chet.  "Idaho  does  not  contain  a  braver 
or  better  hunter  than  old  Ike  Watson." 

Shortly  after  this  Chet  and  Paul  went  out  to 
care  ,for  the  cattle  about  the  place,  for  quite 
a  few  head  had  already  been  penned  up  ready 
for  the  early  fall  drive.  The  ranch  did  not 
boast  of  many  cattle,  and  such  as  there  was 
they  desired  to  keep  in  the  best  possible  con 
dition. 

Noel  Urner  accompanied  them  and  was  much 
interested  in  all  to  be  seen  and  what  was  done. 

44  Such  a  difference  between  life  out  here  and 
in  the  city,"  he  remarked.  "Actually,  it  is  like 
another  world!  " 

"You're  right  there,"  replied  Paul.  "And 
when  you  size  it  up  all  around,  it's  hard  to  tell 


A  VISITOR  AT  THE  RANCH  8 1 

which  is  the  best  —  providing,  of  course,  you  can 
get  a  comfortable  living  at  either  place." 

Just  as  the  three  were  walking  back  to  the 
ranch  the  sounds  of  a  horse's  hoofs  broke  upon 
their  ears. 

"Can  it  be  Allen?"  burst  out  Chet,  but  then 
his  face  fell.  "No,  it's  not  his  style  of  rid 
ing." 

"Oh,  pshaw!"  whispered  Paul  a  second  later. 
"If  it  isn't  Captain  Grady !  " 

"And  who  is  he?"   queried  Noel. 

"An  old  prospector  who  wants  to  get  pos 
session  of  this  ranch.  He  claims  that  our  title 
to  it  is  defective,  or  not  good  at  all.  I  wonder 
what  he  wants  now?  " 

"Perhaps  he's  got  more  evidence  to  prove  his 
claim  to  the  place,"  groaned  Chet.  "Oh,  dear! 
Troubles  never  come  singly,  true  enough!1' 

With  anxious  hearts  the  two  brothers  walked 
forward  to  meet  the  new  arrival,  whose  face  bore 
a  look  of  insolence  and  self-satisfaction. 

Captain  Hank  Grady  was  a  tall,  evil-looking 
man  of  forty  years  of  age.  His  title  was  merely 
one  of  favor,  for  he  had  neither  served  in  the 
army  nor  the  navy.  But  little  was  known  of  his 
past  by  the  people  of  the  section,  and  he  never 


82  THREE  YOUNG  RANCHMEN 

took  the  pains  to  enlighten  those  who  were  curiou^ 
enough  to  know. 

For  years  he  had  wanted  the  Big  Bear  ranch, 
as  the  Winthrop  homestead  was  called,  for  neither 
by  fair  means  nor  foul  had  he  heretofore  been  able 
to  obtain  possession  of  the  property.  But  now 
he  had  been  working  in  secret  for  a  long  while, 
and  he  came  prepared  to  make  an  announcement 
that  was  designed  to  trouble  the  boys  not  a  little. 

"Hullo,  there,  young  fellers,"  he  called  out 
roughly,  as  he  dismounted.  "  I  reckon  you  didn't 
expect  to  see  me  quite  so  soon  again,  did  you?" 

"We  did  not,"  rejoined  Paul,  coldly. 

"Well,  I  confess  I  fixed  matters  up  quicker 
than  I  first  calculated  to  do,"  went  on  the  cap 
tain.  "  I  thought  I  was  going  to  have  a  good  bit 
more  trouble  to  establish  my  claim.'* 

"  As  far  as  I  know  you  have  no  claim  here  to 
establish,"  put  in  Chet,  sharply.  "You  may  pre 
tend " 

"See  here,  I  ain't  talking  to  you,"  retorted 
Capcain  Grady,  cutting  him  short.  "  Your  big 
brother  is  the  feller  I  want  to  see  —  him  or  Barnaby 
Winthrop." 

"  Both  of  them  are  away,"  replied  Paul,  "and 
Chet  and  I  are  runningr  the  ranch  iust  now." 


A  VISITOR  AT  THE   RANCH  83 

*'  And  if  you  do  not  like  my  manner  of  speech 
you  need  not  stay  here,"  cried  Chet,  warmly, 
his  temper  rising  at  the  newcomer's  aggressive 
manner. 

"Ho!  you  young  savage,  don't  you  speak  that 
way  to  me,"  roared  Captain  Grady.  "  I  didn't 
come  here  to  deal  with  a  kid." 

"I  may  be  young,  but  I  have  my  rights  here, 
just  the  same,"  retorted  Chet. 

"  My  brother  is  right,"  added  Paul.  "If  you 
wish  to  talk  business  you  must  do  so  with  both 
of  us." 

The  captain  growled  out  something  under  his 
breath.  He  was  about  to  speak  when  he  caught 
sight  of  Noel  Urner. 

He  started  back  as  though  a  ghost  had  con 
fronted  him,  and  the  words  died  on  his  lips.  The 
young  man  from  New  York  saw  the  action,  but 
could  not  in  the  least  account  for  it. 


CHAPTER    X. 

THE  CAPTAIN'S  SETBACK 

CAPTAIN  GRADY  recovered  in  a  few  seconds. 
He  glanced  suspiciously  about  to  see  if  there 
were  others  with  Noel.  Seeing  the  young  man 
was  alone,  he  plucked  up  fresh  courage. 

"  All  right,  I'll  talk  business  with  both,"  he 
said.  "Who  is  this?"  and  he  jerked  his  thumb 
toward  Noel. 

"A  friend  of  ours  from  New  York,"  replied 
Paul. 

"Humph!  Didn't  know  you  had  friends  so 
far  off." 

"We  don't  know  everything  in  this  world," 
retorted  Chet,  pointedly. 

44  You're  right,  we  don't,"  replied  the  captain 
with  equal  emphasis. 

He  tied  his  horse  fast  to  the  doorpost  and  strode 
into  the  house.  Paul  motioned  Chet  to  follow, 
and  then  buttonholed  Noel  Urner. 

"  This  is  Captain  Grady,"  he  whispered.  "We 
(84) 


THE   CAPTAIN'S  SETBACK  85 

have  told  you  a  little  about  him.  He  is  trying 
to  get  this  ranch  away  from  us." 

"  And  he  has  no  real  claim  to  it?  " 

"  I  do  not  believe  he  has.  But  he  is  so  slippery 
a  customer  he  will  swindle  its  if  he  can.  Will  you 
give  us  some  advice  how  best  to  proceed?  You 
know  more  about  claims  and  legal  papers  than  we 
do." 

'*  Certainly  I'll  do  what  I  can  for  you,"  and 
then  both  entered  the  ranch  home. 

"I'm  sorry  I  ain't  got  your  older  brother  to 
deal  with,"  began  the  captain.  "I  reckon  he  is 
the  one  who  will  understand  my  talk  best." 

"Then,  perhaps  you  had  best  wait  till  he  gets 
back,"  said  Chet  quickly. 

"And  when  will  that  be?' 

"  I  cannot  say  exactly." 

"  I'm  not  in  the  humor  to  wait.  I've  waited  too 
long  already."  The  captain  paused  and  cleared 
his  throat.  ' '  I  believe  you  said  you  had  the 
original  title  papers  to  the  ranch,  didn't  you?  "  he 
went  on. 

"Yes,   we  did  say  that." 

"  I  would  like  to  see  'em." 

Chet  and  Paul  looked  at  each  other.  They 
had  expected  and  dreaded  this  request. 


86  THREE   YOUNG   RANCHMEN 

"  Supposing  we  don't  care  to  show  them  to 
you?  "  said  Paul  cautiously. 

"  What's  the  reason  you  don't  care?"  retorted 
the  captain,  angrily. 

"  We  are  not  called  on  to  explain  all  our  actions 
to  you,"  said  Chet. 

"See  here,  I  don't  want  to  quarrel,  but  I'm 
a-goin'  to  see  them  ere  papers,"  blustered  Captain 
Grady,  with  a  decided  shake  of  his  head.  "I 
came  all  the  way  from  Deadwood  to  see  'em." 

"Well,  you  won't  see  them,"  returned  Paul, 
boldly.  It  would  never  do  in  the  wide  world  to 
acknowledge  that  they  had  been  burned  up. 

"  Well,  then,  I  reckon  I'm  free  to  speak  what's 
on  my  mind,"  roared  the  captain,  "  an'  that  is, 
that  you  never  had  no  papers  at  all." 

**  You  can  say  what  you  please,"  said  Chet,  as 
calmly  as  he  could. 

"  An'  that  ain't  all  I've  got  to  say,"  went  on 
the  captain.  "  I've  got  more  to  say  to  you.  This 
ere  claim  o'  land  originally  belonged  to  Sam  Slater, 
o'  Deadwood " 

"  We  know  that." 

"Slater   died,    an'   left   no  will " 

"  That  may  all  be  true,  too." 

"  An'  he  left  this  land " 


THE  CAPTAIN'S  SETBACK  87 

*'  No,  he  didn't.  It  was  sold  to  my  father  be 
fore  that!  "  cried  Paul. 

"  No  such  thing.  Old  Slater  left  it  as  part  o' 
his  estate " 

"  He  did  not." 

"  He  did,  an'  I  can  take  my  affidavy  to  it,  if 
it's  necessary,"  exclaimed  Captain  Grady.  "  But 
that  ain't  all  yet  wot  I  hev  got  to  tell.  Slater 
left  it  to  his  heirs,  an'  I  bought  it  from  them  only 
last  week." 

"  It  can't  be  true!  "    gasped   Chet,  faintly. 

"It  is  true,  an'  I  hev  the  papers  to  prove  it. 
This  here  ranch  belongs  to  me,  an'  the  sooner  you 
boys  pack  up  your  duds  an'  git  out  the  better  it 
will  please  me,"  and  Captain  Grady  smiled  mali 
ciously  at  the  blow  his  news  had  brought  to  the 
boys. 

Both  Paul  and  Chet  were  much  dismayed  by 
the  unexpected  announcement  Captain  Grady  had 
made. 

For  the  moment  they  stared  at  the  speaker  as 
if  they  had  not  heard  aright. 

It  was  Paul  who  spoke  first. 

"You  bought  the  ranch,  and  have  the  papers 
to  prove  it?"  he  gasped. 

"That's  just  wot  I  said,  boy." 


88  THREE   YOUNG  RANCHMEN 

"Your  claim  will  not  hold  water,"  put  in 
Chet,  faintly. 

"Well,  I  reckon  it  will,"  retorted  Captain 
Grady.  "  I  allow  as  how  I  know  wot  I'm  a-doin'." 

"  My  father  bought  this  ranch,  and  that  set 
tles  it,"  said  Paul.  "We  will  not  give  up  our 
rights  here  just  on  what  you  say." 

"Perhaps  you  had  better  look  at  his  papers," 
suggested  Noel  Urner,  who  had  thus  far  re 
mained  silent. 

"It  won't  be  necessary  for  them  to  look  at 
'em,"  returned  the  captain,  doggedly.  "I  have 
'em  and  that's  enough.  I  ain't  got  to  show  my 
papers  no  more  than  they  hev  got  to  show  theirs." 

"What  shall  we  do?"  whispered  Paul  to  the 
young  man  from  New  York,  as  he  led  him  a 
little  to  one  side. 

"Stick  to  your  resolve  to  stand  up  for  your 
rights,"  was  Noel's  reply  "Remember,  posses 
sion  is  nine  points  of  the  law.  He  cannot  dis 
possess  you  unless  he  starts  a  lawsuit  to  recover 
the  property  he  claims." 

"I  ain't  a-goin'  to  wait  for  your  Uncle  Bar 
naby  or  Allen  to  return,"  went  on  Captain 
Grady,  sullenly.  "  I  want  you  to  leave  at  once, 
bag  and  baggage." 


THE  CAPTAIN'S  SETBACK  89 

"Indeed,"  returned  Paul,   coldly. 

"Yes,  indeed.  I  ve  been  kept  out  of  this  place 
long  enough  —  seeing  as  how  the  original  owner 
gave  me  a  half  hold  on  it  long  before  he  died." 

"What  makes  you  so  anxious  for  the  place?" 
asked  Noel  Urner.  with  sudden  interest. 

"  That's  my  business,"  growled  the  captain. 

"  Is  there  any  concealed  wealth  upon  it?  " 

"No,  there  ain't,"  exclaimed  Captain  Grady, 
almost  so  quick  that  it  did  not  sound  natural. 

"  You  seem  to  be  awfully  anxious " 

"I  own  the  next  ranch,  that's  why.  I  want 
to  turn  my  cattle  an'  sech  in  the  two.  Besides 
that,  it  ain't  natural  for  a  man  to  stand  by  an'  see 
others  a-usin'  of  his  things." 

"You  talk  very  positively,  Captain  Grady," 
said  Paul.  "But  it  will  do  you  no  good.  We 
shall  not  budge  for  the  present." 

"You  won't?" 

"  Not  a  step.  We  claim  this  property  and 
you  will  have  to  get  the  law  to  put  us  out  if 
we  are  to  be  put  out." 

"  You  young  highflyers!  "  growled  the  captain. 
He  had  a  dread  of  the  law  and  would  do  anything 
to  keep  out  of  court.  "Do  you  think  I'll  stand 
§ech  talk?" 


90  THREE   YOUNG  RANCHMEN 

"You  will  have  to  stand  it,"  put  in  Chet. 
"  I  agree  with  Paul.  We  won't  budge  until  the 
sheriff  or  a  constable  puts  us  out." 

For  the  moment  Captain  Grady  was  speechless. 
His  face  grew  dark  with  gathering  wrath,  and 
he  looked  as  if  he  wanted  to  eat  some  one  up. 

"  You  won't  budge,  hey?  "  he  roared  at  last. 

"No." 

"I'll  put  ye  out!  " 

"  I  don't  think  you  will,"  retorted  Paul. 

"  Not  without  a  big  fight,"  added  Chet. 

"  The  boys  have  a  right  to  stay  here  until  put 
out,"  said  Noel  Urner.  "The  property  is  in 
dispute,  and  the  only  way  to  settle  the  matter  is  by 
going  to  law." 

"I  didn't  ask  for  your  advice,"  growled  the 
captain,  fiercely.  "I  own  this  ranch,  an'  I'm 
a-goin'  to  have  it,  an'  putty  quick,  too!  " 

And  without  another  word  he  turned  on  his 
heel,  strode  out  of  the  house,  sprang  on  his  horse, 
and  rode  away  at  top  speed. 

"Phew!  but  isn't  he  mad!"  exclaimed  Chet, 
as  the  rider  disappeared  up  the  river  trail. 

"You  bet!"  returned  Paul,  dropping  into 
a  bit  of  slang.  "  But  he  can  stay  mad  as  long 
as  he  pleases;  he  can't  bulldoze  us." 


THE  CAPTAIN'S  SETBACK  91 

He  is  not  so  sure  of  his  rights  as  he  pretends  to 
be,"  remarked  Noel  Urner,  who,  in  the  course 
of  his  city  life,  had  met  many  men  similar  to 
Captain  Grady.  "If  he  knew  all  was  right  he 
wouldn't  bluster  so  much." 

"That's  my  idea  of  it,  too,"  rejoined  Chet. 
"  I  am  half  inclined  to  think  he  never  bought  the 
land  — that  is,  paid  for  what  he  supposed  was 
a  title  to  it  —  for  he  couldn't  really  buy  it  except 
it  was  sold  by  Uncle  Barnaby." 

"Well,  by  the  time  he  pays  another  visit  your 
brother  will  be  back  most  likely.  It  is  a  pity  that 
your  uncle  should  just  now  be  missing." 

The  afternoon  wore  away,  and  anxiously  the 
two  boys  awaited  the  coming  of  Allen.  Several 
times  they  went  up  to  the  roof  of  the  house  and 
swept  all  points  of  the  compass  with  their  field 
glass. 

At  last  the  shades  of  night  began  to  fall,  and 
with  heavy  hearts  the  two  began  the  round  of 
evening  work,  feeding  the  chickens  and  pigs  and 
seeing  that  everything  was  secure  for  the  night. 
There  were  also  a  couple  of  cows  to  milk  and  a 
dozen  or  more  of  eggs  to  gather. 

Noel  Urner  went  around  with  them  as  be 
fore,  and  he  was  greatly  interested.  When  they 


92  THREE   YOUNG  RANCHMBN 

returned  to  the  house  he  began  to  question  them  as 
to  the  extent  of  the  ranch, 

"Oh,  it's  pretty  big,"  replied  Paul.  "It  runs 
up  and  down  the  river  nearly  half  a  mile,  and 
as  far  back  as  what  we  call  the  second  foothills. 
If  we  had  horses  I  could  ride  you  around  and 
show  you." 

'  *  Are  there  any  mines  in  the  foothills  ? ' '  was 
the  young  man's  next  question. 

"  There  used  to  be  a  few,  but  they  have  all  been 
abandoned  because  they  did  not  pay." 

"Perhaps  this  Captain  Grady  has  struck  some 
thing  that  will  pay." 

"Hardly.  My  father  and  Uncle  Barnaby  went 
over  every  foot  of  the  ground  half  a  dozen  times, 
and  they  were  both  better  prospectors  than  the 
captain." 

Noel  Urner  was  about  to  ask  more  questions, 
but  a  sound  outside  of  the  stockade  caused  him  to 
pause.  They  all  listened,  and  then  Chet  gave  a 
shout. 

"  Somebody  is  coming!  It  must  be  Allen  or  Ike 
Watson  !  Come  on  out  and  see  1  ' ' 


CHAPTER   XI. 
IKE  WATSON'S  ARRIVAL 

LET  us  go   back  to  Allen. 
We   left   him   just  as  the    sound   made   by 
Paul's    horse    aroused    the    leader    of    the     horse 
thieves,   whose  full  name  was  Saul  Mangle. 

"The  feller  that  went  over  into  the  river,  as 
sure  as  fate !  "  burst  from  the  lips  of  Mangle, 
and  he  started  back  in  astonishment. 

"Impossible!"  cried  Darry,  the  second  man. 
"That  feller  must  have  been  killed!" 

"See  for  yourself." 

With  these  words  Saul  Mangle  sprang  forward 
to  stop  Allen,  who  was  about  to  mount  Jasper. 
He  reached  the  young  man's  side  as  Allen 
gained  the  saddle. 

"  Come  down  out  of  that !  "  he  cried,  roughly. 

"  Not  much !  "  returned  the  young  man.  "  Clear 
the  track,  unless  you  want  to  be  run  down!" 

He  urged  the  horse  forward.  Jasper  started, 
but  ere  he  had  taken  three  steps,  Mangle  caught 
him  by  the  bridle. 

(93) 


94  THREE   YOUNG  RANCHMEN 

"Whoa!"  he  cried.      "Whoa,   I  say!" 

"Let  the  horse  go,  do  you  hear?"  ejaculated 
Allen,  sharply. 

"I  won't  do  it!  Darry!  Jeff!  Come  here, 
why  don't  you?  " 

The  others  leaped  into  the  brush.  Allen  saw 
that  affairs  were  turning  against  him.  He  leaned 
forward  to  Jasper's  neck. 

Smack !  Mangle  caught  a  sharp  blow  full 
across  his  mouth.  It  came  so  quickly  that  he 
staggered  back  and  his  hold  was  loosened. 

"On,  Jasper,  on,  my  boy!"  cried  Allen,  slap 
ping  the  animal  with  his  palm.  "Come,  Rush! 
Come,  Rush!"  he  added  to  Chefs  horse,  which 
stood  close  beside. 

Off  went  Jasper  with  a  bound,  and  Rush 
followed  at  his  heels. 

"Stop  him!  Hang  the  measly  luck!"  roared 
Saul  Mangle.  "Darry!  Jeff!  What  are  you 
at?" 

As  he  cried  out,  the  leader  of  the  horse  thieves 
felt  for  his  pistol.  But  before  the  weapon  could 
be  drawn  both  horses  and  Allen  had  disappeared 
behind  a  clump  of  cottonwoods. 

"We  had  bettah  follow  him  on  de  mustangs," 
suggested  the  negro.  "  He  can't  ride " 


IKE   WATSON'S   ARRIVAL  95 

"Of  course,  we'll  follow  him!"  growled 
Mangle.  "  Don't  stand  and  talk  about  it.  Come 
on!  He'll  be  out  of  hearing  in  another  minute! 
This  is  the  worst  luck  yet!" 

He  leaped  for  one  of  the  mustangs.  In  another 
second  all  three  of  the  men  were  mounted  and 
riding  after  Allen  as  rapidly  as  the  nature  of  the 
land  and  growth  would  allow. 

"  How  do  you  think  he  escaped?  "  asked  Darry, 
as  they  pushed  on. 

"  Can't  make  it  out,"  replied  Mangle.  "  We'll 
make  him  tell  the  story  when  we  catch  him. 
Ha!  what  was  that?  " 

A  sudden  crash  ahead  had  arrested  their  at 
tention.  He  listened.  A  dead  silence  fol 
lowed. 

"The  bosses  and  young  feller  have  gone  into 
some  sort  of  a  hole,"  cried  Darry.  "  We'll  have 
him  now,  all  right  enough." 

On  they  went  through  the  brush,  Mangle  leading 
the  way.  Suddenly  the  leader  came  to  a  halt. 
Before  him  was  a  srreer  descent  of  eight  or  ten 
feet. 

"Here's  where  he  and  the  bosses  went  down," 
he  said  to  his  followers. 

"  But  where  is  he?"   questioned  Darry. 


96  THREE  YOUNG  RANCHMEN 

"  Not  far  off,  I'll  warrant  ye.     Come  on." 

"  Dis  yere  mustang  won't  take  dat  leap,"  put 
in  Jeff,  drawing  back. 

"And  I  won't  venture  it,"  added  Darry.  "I 
don't  want  to  land  on  my  head." 

"Cowards!"  howled  Saul  Mangle.  "Well, 
then,  there  is  a  trail  to  the  right ;  take  that. 
Here  goes !  " 

He  spoke  to  his  animal,  and  an  instant  later 
rider  and  mustang  went  down  in  a  graceful 
curve.  They  landed  in  a  bunch  of  brush,  none  the 
worse  for  the  leap. 

Darry  and  Jeff  followed  by  way  of  the  trail. 
They  could  hear  Allen  pushing  through  the  brush 
not  over  a  hundred  yards  ahead. 

The  young  man  was  having  a  hard  time  of  it. 
He  was  going  it  blindly,  and  was  so  faint  from 
want  of  sleep  and  something  to  eat  that  he  could 
hardly  sit  up  in  the  saddle. 

Yet  he  realized  his  peril  and  clung  on  desper 
ately,  meanwhile,  urging  the  horse  and  his  mate 
to  do  their  best  to  place  distance  between  them 
and  their  pursuers. 

But  now  the  slight  trail  he  was  pursuing  be 
came  rougher,  and  it  was  with  difficulty  that 
any  progress  could  be  made.  The  horses  labored 


IKE   WATSON'S   ARRIVAL  97 

along     bra'vely,     but     were     no     match     on     such 
ground    for    the    nimble-footed   mustangs. 

?^'Halt!  Do  you  hear?"  were  the  first  un 
pleasant  words  which  greeted  Allen's  ears,  and 
looking  back  he  saw  that  Saul  Mangle  was  in 
plain  sight. 

Allen  attempted  to  dodge  out  of  sight.  To 
frighten  him  Mangle  fired  off  his  pistol,  the 
bullet  cutting  through  the  brush  under  Jasper's 
feet. 

"Will  you   stop   now?"    yelled   Mangle. 

Allen  was  in  a  quandary.  He  did  not  wish  to 
be  shot,  and  yet 

But  the  young  man  was  not  called  on  to 
solve  the  dreadful  question.  While  he  hesitated 
there  was  a  loud  shout  from  some  distance  to 
his  right,  and  looking  up  the  rocks  he  saw  to 
his  great  joy  Ike  Watson,  the  hunter,  sitting 
astride  of  his  horse,  rifle  in  hand. 

4 'Wall,  wall!"  shouted  the  old  man.  "And 
what's  the  row,  Allen,  I  want  to  know  ?  " 

"Horse  thieves,  Ike!  Save  me!"  was  the 
quick  reply.  "There  are  three  of  them  after 
me!" 

"  Saul  Mangle,  as  I'm  a  nateral  born  sinner, 
and  Darry  Nodley  and  Jeff  Jones!  Wall!  wall! 


98  THREE  YOUNG  RANCHMEN 

wall!  Turn  about,  before  it  is  too  late,  ye  sar- 
pints!" 

The  loud  cry  from  Ike  Watson  caused  the  gang 
of  horse  thieves  to  come  to  a  sudden  halt.  Every 
one  of  them  knew  old  Ike  Watson  only  too  well 
—  knew  him  for  a  man  of  quaint  humor,  but 
with  a  sense  of  justice  that  no  one  dared  to 
question. 

"Hang  the  measly  luck  !  "  muttered  Saul  Man 
gle.  "There's  Ike  Watson  !  " 

"Then  the  jig's  up  for  the  present,  and  we 
had  better  vamoose  !  "  returned  Nodley. 

"  Clar  out,  do  ye  hear  me?"  yelled  Ike  Wat 
son  to  the  crowd  of  three.  "Don't  wait  for  me 
to  git  riled  up." 

"Come  on!"  whispered  Saul  Mangle,  with  a 
scowl,  and  like  magic  the  trio  of  villains  turned 
about  and  disappeared  down  a  side  trail,  leaving 
poor  exhausted  Allen  safe  in  friendly  hands  at 
last. 

"By  the  grasshoppers  of  Kansas,  but  ye  look 
fagged  out,  Allen!"  exclaimed  old  Ike  Watson 
as  he  sprang  down  and  caught  Allen  in  his  arms. 
"  What's  the  matter  with  ye,  boy?  " 

"  I've  had  an  awful  experience,  Ike,"  replied 
the  young  ranchman  as  soon  as  he  could  recover 


IKE   WATSON'S  ARRIVAL 


99 


sufficiently  to  speak.  "I've  been  underground 
several  miles,  and  I  haven't  had  a  mouthful  to  eat 
since  yesterday  morning!  " 

"Gee  shoo,  Allen!  Wall!  wall!  wall!  If  I 
didn't  know  ye  so  well  I'd  be  apt  ter  think  ye 
war  tellin'  me  a  fairy  tale.  But  I  allow  as  how 
Granville  Winthrop's  son  couldn't  lie  if  he 
tried." 

"I  speak  the  truth,  Ike.  But  where  are  those 
villains?" 

"  Gone,  boy,  gone.  They  knowed  better  nor  to 
stay  whar  Ike  Watson  was,  ho!  ho!  " 

'  They  are  horse  thieves,  and  ought  to  be 
locked  up." 

4  Thet  Saul  Mangle  ought  to  be  strung  up,  ye 
mean.  And  Darry  Nodley  and  that  coon,  Jeff 
Jones,  ain't  much  better.  But  they  are  gone  now." 

"  Well,  I  have  Paul's  horse  and  Chefs,  too, 
anyway,"  returned  Allen,  with  a  slight  smile  of 
satisfaction. 

"  Whar's  your  own  horse?  " 

"  Dead,  I  reckon.  We  went  off  the  Upas  Pass 
bridge  together  into  the  river,  and  I  suppose  she 
was  drowned.  Poor  Lilly!  " 

"Off  the  bridge!  Gee  shoo!  Then  ye  war 
carried  down  the  Black  Rock  River?  " 


100        THREE  YOUNG  RANCHMEN 

"Yes!"  Allen  gave  a  shudder.  "It  was 
fearful,  Ike.  But  come,  let  us  get  to  the  ranch, 
and  I  can  tell  my  story  to  all  at  once!  " 

"That's  the  best  way,  sure.  But  down  that 
air  stream !  Great  snakes  and  turkey  buzzards!" 

"  I  know  it  hardly  can  be  believed,  but  that  is 
not  the  worst  or  most  wonderful  part  of  it.  But 
come;  I  am  nearly  famished." 

"Here's  a  bite  I  have  in  my  pouch;  eat  that," 
returned  Ike  Watson,  and  he  passed  over  some 
crackers  and  meat  which  Allen  devoured  with 
keen  relish. 


CHAPTER   XII. 
THE  BOYS  TALK  IT  OVER 

ALLEN  and  Ike  Watson   were  soon  on  the  way 
back  to  the  ranch.     Fortunately  Ike  Watson 
knew  every   foot   of  the   ground,    and   led   by   the 
most  direct  route. 

As  the  reader  knows,  Paul  and  Chet  heard  them 
approaching  and  received  their  elder  brother  with 
open  arms. 

"You  look  like  a  ghost!  "  declared  Chet,  start 
ing  back  on  catching  sight  of  Allen's  pale  face. 

"  And  I  feel  like  a  shadow,"  responded  Allen 
with  a  weary  laugh.  "  But  a  good  dinner  and 
a  nap  will  make  me  as  bright  as  a  dollar  again." 

"He  has  our  horses!"  cried  Paul. 

"Yes,   but  not  my  own,"   returned  Allen. 

He  walked  into  the  house  and  was  here  intro 
duced  to  Noel  Urner.  The  table  was  at  once 
spread,  and  soon  both  Allen  and  Ike  Watson  were 
regaling  themselves  to  their  heart's  content. 

(101) 


102        THREE  YOUNG  RANCHMEN 

During  the  progress  of  the  meal  Allen  related 
all  of  his  wonderful  story  of  the  fall  from  the 
bridge,  the  journey  on  the  underground  river, 
and  of  his  struggle  to  reach  the  open  air  once 
more.  He  said  nothing  about  the  wealth  which 
lay  exposed  in  the  cavern  or  of  the  fact  that  it 
was  Uncle  Barnaby's  mine,  for  he  felt  he  had 
no  right  to  mention  those  matters  before  Ike 
Watson  and  Noel  Urner,  friends  though  they 
might  be.  Uncle  Barnaby  had  guarded  his  secret 
well  and  he  would  do  the  same. 

All  listened  with  deep  interest  to  what  he  had 
to  say. 

"It  was  a  wonder  the  fall  into  the  water 
didn't  kill  you,"  said  Paul.  "  Such  a  distance  as 
it  was!  " 

"Lilly  saved  my  life  —  but  it  cost  her  her 
own,"  returned  Allen,  and  he  sighed,  for  Lilly 
had  been  his  favorite  for  several  years. 

Chet  and  Paul  were  eager  that  Allen  should 
hear  Noel  Urner's  story  and  the  young  man  from 
New  York  related  it  without  delay.  Allen  was 
as  much  surprised  as  his  brothers  had  been,  and 
so  was  Ike  Watson. 

"  I  am  afraid  somebody  has  played  Uncle  Bar 
naby  foul,"  cried  Allen,  his  face  full  of  anxiety. 


THE   BOYS  TALK   IT  OVER  103 

"If  he  had  left  of  his  own  accord  we  would 
have  heard  from  him." 

''That's  just  my  idea  of  it,"  said  Paul.  "But 
the  thing  of  it  is,  who  met  him  in  San  Francisco, 
and  what  did  they  do?" 

To  that  question  Allen  could  only  shake  his 
head. 

"  I  am  too  tired  to  say  much  about  it  to-night," 
he  said  at  last.  "  I  must  sleep  on  it." 

Allen  wished  to  retire  early,  but  before  he  did 
so  Chet  told  him  of  Captain  Grady's  visit. 

"We  won't  stir,"  said  Allen,  briefly.  "Let 
him  sue  Uncle  Barnaby.  We  have  nothing  to  do 
with  it.  Our  first  duty  is  to  find  uncle." 

And  both  Paul  and  Chet  agreed  with  him  on 
this  point. 

Ike  Watson  was  on  his  way  up  the  Salmon 
River  to  visit  a  new  gold  diggings.  He  refused 
to  stay  all  night,  and  set  off  in  the  dark,  with 
Allen's  thanks  ringing  in  his  ears  for  what  he 
had  done. 

Despite  the  excitement  through  which  he  had 
passed,  Allen  slept  "  like  a  log  "  that  night,  and 
did  not  awaken  until  long  after  the  others  were 
up  and  Chet  and  Paul  had  the  morning  chores 
done. 


104        THREE  YOUNG  RANCHMEN 

"Now  I  feel  like  myself  once  more,"  he  said 
when  he  came  down.  "And  I  am  ready  for 
business." 

"  So  am  I,"  laughed  Noel  Urner.  "  But  the 
trouble  is,  I  do  not  know  how  to  turn  without 
horse  or  conveyance.  I  am  not  used  to  tramping 
about  on  foot." 

"  If  we  had  horses  we  might  lend  you  one," 
said  Allen.  "But  two  nags  for  four  people  are 
two  short,"  and  he  laughed. 

During  the  morning  Paul  went  out  on  horse 
back,  accompanied  by  Noel,  to  see  if  the  cattle 
were  safe.  While  they  were  gone  Allen  told  Chet 
of  the  hidden  mine. 

"It  is  worth  a  million,"  he  said.  ".But  it  is 
Uncle  Barnaby's  secret,  remember." 

"I  will  remember,"  said  Chet,  "but  we  must 
tell  Paul." 

"  Certainly;  tell  him  after  I  am  gone." 

"Gone?     Why,  Allen,   what  do  you   mean?" 

"I  am  going  to  leave  home  this  afternoon, 
Chet." 

"  You  are  fooling,"  remarked  the  younger 
brother. 

"  Never  more  serious  in  my  life,  Chet." 

"  And  you  are  going "   Chet  hesitated. 


THE   BOYS   TALK    IT   OVER  105 

4 'Direct  to  San  Francisco  to  hunt  up  tidings  of 
Uncle  Barnaby." 

Of  course,  Chet  was  taken  completely  back  by 
Allen's  announcement. 

"  To  San  Francisco!  "  he  ejaculated. 

"  Yes,  Chet.  I  feel  that  it  is  my  duty  to  discover 
what  has  become  of  uncle,  if  possible,  at  once." 

**  I  know,  but   it's  such  a  journey " 

"  I  am  not  afraid  to  take  it.  I  will  ride  to  the 
nearest  station  on  the  railroad,  which  is  not  over 
a  hundred  and  forty  miles,  and  then  take  the  train. 
The  journey  on  the  cars  will  not  take  over  a  cou 
ple  of  days,  all  told." 

"And  the  cost " 

"  I  will  have  to  take  what  we  have  saved 
from  the  thieves.  But  surely,  Chet,  you  do  not 
regret  taking  that  for  such  a  purpose  ?  " 

"No!  no!  take  it  all!  I  was  thinking  if  it 
would  be  enough." 

"I  will  make  it  do.  I  will  buy  a  cut-rate 
ticket  from  Ogden,  if  I  can." 

"And  what  shall  Paul  and  I  do  in  the  mean 
time?"  questioned  Chet  in  some  dismay. 

"Do  nothing  but  guard  the  cattle  and  the 
place  generally.  I  will  be  back,  or  let  you  hear 
from  me  just  as  soon  as  I  can." 


106        THREE  YOUNG  RANCHMEN 

Paul  was  equally  astonished  at  Allen's  sudden 
determination.  It  was,  however,  what  Noel 
Urner  had  expected. 

"Yes,  I  would  go  if  I  were  you,"  said  the 
latter.  "And  if  you  want  me  to,  I  will  go 
with  you,"  he  added.  "I  must  confess  I  am 
deeply  interested  in  this  strange  case." 

"  I  would  like  you  to  go  with  me  first 
rate,"  returned  Allen.  "And  whether  uncle 
is  found  or  not,  I  will  promise  that  you  shall 
be  well  paid  for  all  the  trouble  you  will  be 
put  to." 

"I  want  no  pay  for  helping  you.  I  will  en 
joy  the  bit  of  detective  work,  as  one  might 
call  it.  But  how  am  I  to  get  to  the  railroad 
station  without  a  horse?" 

"You  can  take  both  horses,  if  necessary," 
suggested  Chet. 

"That's  so;  although  we  ought  to  have  at 
least  one  animal  on  the  ranch,"  added  Paul. 

"We  can  both  ride  one  animal  as  far  as 
Dottery's  ranch,"  said  Allen,  "and  there  we  can 
either  borrow  or  hire  another  animal." 

"How   far  is  Dottery's?" 

"  Only  about  twenty-five  miles.  We  ought  to 
reach  it  by  dark,  if  we  start  shortly." 


THE  BOYS  TALK  IT  OVER         107 

"We  can  start  at  once,  as  far  as  I  am  con 
cerned,"  laughed  Noel. 

So  it  was  decided  to  lose  no  time,  and  Chet 
tit  once  set  to  work  to  prepare  dinner  and  also 
some  food  to  be  carried  along. 


CHAPTER   XIII. 
CAUGHT  IN  A  CYCLONE 

LESS  than  an  hour  later  Jasper  was  brought 
out  and  Noel  Urner  sprang  into  the  saddle, 
with  Allen  behind  him  on  the  blanket. 

"Keep  a  close  watch  for  more  thieves  while  I 
am  gone  !  "  cried  Allen. 

"We  will!"  shouted  Paul.  "And  you  take 
care  for  more  doctored  bridges!" 

A  parting  wave  of  the  hand  and  the  ranch 
was  left  behind,  and  Allen  was  off  on  a  journey 
that  was  to  be  filled  with  adventures  and  excite 
ment  from  start  to  finish. 

Chet  and  Paul  watched  the  horse  and  his  two 
riders  out  of  sight,  and  then  with  rather  heavy 
hearts  returned  to  the  house.  The  place  seemed 
more  lonely  than  ever  with  both  Allen  and  Noel 
Urner  gone. 

"It's  going  to  be  a  long  time  waiting  for 
Allen's  return,"  sighed  Paul. 

"Perhaps    not,"    returned  Chet.      "He  left  me 

with  a  secret  to  tell  you,  Paul." 
(108) 


CAUGHT   IN   A   CYCLONE  109 

And  Chet  lost  no  time  in  relating  Allen V 
story  of  the  hidden  mine  of  great  wealth 

"And  perhaps  we  can  explore  the  place  during 
his  absence,"  Paul  said,  after  he  had  expressed 
his  astonishment  and  asked  half  a  dozen  ques 
tions. 

44 1  don't  know  about  that,  Paul.  We  may  not 
be  able  to  find  the  opening  Allen  mentioned,  and 
then,  again,  he  may  not  wish  us  to  do  so." 

44  Why  should   he   object  ?  " 

44  I  don't  know." 

14  We'll  have  ten  days  or  two  weeks  on  our 
hands,  at  the  very  least.  We  might  as  well  take 
a  look  at  that  wealth  as  not." 

''Supposing  somebody  followed  us  and  found 
out  the  secret  ?  They  would  locate  a  claim  be 
fore  we  could  turn  a  hand." 

"We  will  make  sure  that  we  are  not  followed," 
said  Paul,  who  was  anxious  to  see  if  all  Allen 
had  told  could  really  be  true. 

Chet  continued  to  demur,  but  after  Allen  and 
Noel  had  been  gone  the  whole  of  the  next  day 
he  gave  in,  and  seemed  as  anxious  as  Paul  to  do 
something  which  would  make  it  less  lonely.  Ap 
parently  the  horse  thieves  had  left  the  vicinity, 
so  there  was  nothing  to  be  feared  in  that  direction 


HO  THREE  YOUNG   RANCHMEN 

during  an  absence  that  they  meant  should  not 
last  more  than  one  whole  day. 

Sunday  came  between,  and  on  Monday  morning 
they  arose  early  and  had  breakfast  ere  it  was  yet 
daylight.  They  decided  to  take  Rush,  both  to 
ride  when  on  a  level  and  each  to  take  a  turn  at 
walking  when  on  the  uphill  trails. 

Allen  had  left  Chet  minute  directions  as  to 
how  the  opening  to  the  hidden  mine  could  be 
located,  he  having  fixed  the  locality  well  in  his 
mind  before  leaving,  it. 

It  was  rather  a  gloomy  day,  but  this  the  two 
boys  did  not  mind. 

"It's  better  than  being  so  raging  hot,"  said 
Paul.  "  It  makes  my  head  ache  to  ride  when  it's 
so  fearfully  hot." 

"If  it  only  don't  rain,"  returned  Chet.  "We 
need  it  bad  enough,  goodness  knows,  but  it  has 
held  off  so  long  it  might  as  well  hold  off  twenty- 
four  hours  longer." 

"  I  doubt  if  we  get  rain  just  yet.  It  hasn't 
threatened  long  enough,"  replied  his  brother. 

Before  the  two  left  the  ranch  they  saw  to  it 
that  every  building  was  locked  up  tight,  and  an 
alarm,  in  the  shape  of  a  loaded  gun,  set  to  the 
doors  and  windows. 


CAUGHT  IN  A  CYCLONE  III 

"  That  ought  to  scare  would-be  thieves  away," 
said  Chet.  "  They'll  imagine  somebody  is  firing 
at  them." 

The  rest  for  a  couple  of  days  had  done  Rush 
much  good,  and  he  made  no  work  of  carrying 
the  two  boys  along  the  trail  that  led  to  the  second 
foothills. 

Long  before  noon  they  reached  the  hills,  and 
here  stopped  for  lunch. 

44  And  now  for  the  wonderful  mine!"  cried 
Chet.  Then,  happening  to  glance  across  the  plains 
below,  he  added:  4'  Gracious,  Paul!  What  is 
that?" 

The  attention  of  both  young  ranchmen  was  at 
once  drawn  to  a  round,  black  cloud  on  the  horizon 
to  the  east.  It  was  hardly  a  yard  in  diameter, 
apparently,  when  first  seen,  but  it  increased  in 
size  with  great  rapidity. 

It  was  moving  directly  toward  them,  and  in 
less  than  two  minutes  from  the  time  Chet  uttered 
his  cry  it  had  covered  fully  a  third  of  the  distance. 

44  From  what  I  have  heard  I  should  say  that  was 
a  cyclone  cloud,"  exclaimed  Paul.  4' And  still " 

44  Who  ever  heard  of  a  cyclone  up  here  among 
the  foothills,"  returned  Chet.  4'I  don't  believe 
they  ever  strike  this  territory." 


112         THREE  YOUNG  RANCHMEN 

"  I  certainly  never  heard  of  their  doing  so,' 
returned  Paul.  "But  still,  you  must  remember, 
that  cyclones  are  erratic  things  at  the  best." 

"It  looks  as  if  it  were  coining  directly  this 
way." 

"So  it  does,  and  I  reckon  the  best  thing  we 
can  do  is  to  make  tracks  for  some  place  of 
safety." 

"That  is  true.     Come  on!  " 

Both  boys  sprang  into  the  saddle  and  started 
up  the  trail.  Hardly  had  a  hundred  feet  of  the 
way  been  covered  than  a  strange  rush  and  roar 
of  wind  filled  the  air. 

"It's  coming,"  shouted  Paul.  "Quick,  Chet, 
down  into  that  hollow  before  it  strikes  us!  " 

He  plunged  into  the  basin  he  had  designated, 
which  was  six  or  eight  feet  below  the  level  of  the 
trail  and  not  over  ten  yards  in  diameter.  Chet 
followed,  ducking  low  as  he  did  so,  for  already 
was  the  air  filled  with  flying  branches. 

"  None  too  soon!  "  ejaculated  Paul.  "  Down, 
Rush!  " 

Between  them  they  managed  to  get  the  horse 
to  lie  down  close  to  a  wall  of  dirt  and  rocks. 
They  lay  near,  waiting  almost  breathlessly  for  that 
awful  time  of  peril  to  pass. 


CAUGHT  IN  A  CYCLONE  113 

No  one  who  has  not  experienced  the  dreadful 
effects  of  a  cyclone  can  imagine  it,  be  the  descrip 
tion  of  it  ever  so  fine.  That  strange  rush  and 
roar,  that  density  of  the  air,  accompanied  by  a 
feeling  as  if  the  very  breath  was  about  to  be  drawn 
from  one's  lungs,  the  flying  debris,  all  unite  to 
chill  the  stoutest  heart  and  make  one  wonder  if 
the  next  moment  will  not  be  the  last. 

The  cyclone  was  short  and  sharp.  From  the 
time  it  first  struck  the  foothills  until  the  time  it 
spent  itself  in  the  distance  was  barely  four  min 
utes,  yet,  what  an  effect  did  it  leave  behind! 

On  all  sides  of  them  many  trees  were  liter 
ally  torn  up  by  the  roots,  brush  was  leveled  as 
if  cut  by  a  mowing  machine,  and  dirt  and  peb 
bles  which  had  been  perhaps  carried  for  miles 
were  deposited  here,  there,  and  everywhere. 
Ranch  boys  though  they  were,  and  accustomed 
to  many  things  strange  and  wonderful,  Chet 
and  Paul  could  only  gaze  at  the  work  of  de 
struction  in  awe,  and  silently  thank  heaven  that 
their  lives  had  been  spared. 

They  had  escaped  with  slight  injury.  Several 
sharp  sticks  and  stones  had  scratched  Chefs 
neck  as  he  lay  prostrate,  and  Paul's  arm  was 
greatly  lamed  by  a  blow  from  the  branch  of  a 


114        THREE  YOUNG  RANCHMEN 

tree  which  fell  directly  across  the  opening,  pin 
ning  the  horse  down  in  such  a  fashion  that  he 
could  not  rise. 

"We  must  liberate  Rush  first  of  all,"  cried 
Chet.  "Poor  fellow!  Whoa,  Rush,  we'll  soon 
help  you,"  he  added,  and  patted  the  animal  on 
the  neck  to  soothe  him. 

Evidently  Rush  understood,  for  he  lay  quiet. 
Then  Chet  and  Paul,  using  all  of  their  strength, 
raised  up  one  end  of  the  tree,  which,  fortunately, 
was  not  large.  As  soon  as  he  felt  himself  free, 
Rush  scrambled  up  out  of  harm's  way,  and  they 
let  the  tree  fall  back  again. 

"  That  is  the  kind  of  an  adventure  I  never  want 
to  experience  again,"  said  Paul  when  he  had  some 
what  recovered  his  breath.  "My,  how  the  wind 
did  tear  things  !  " 

"  It  was  a  full-fledged  cyclone  and  no  mistake," 
returned  his  brother.  "Had  that  struck  a  town 
it  would  have  razed  every  building  in  it." 

"  That's  true,  and  oh  !  "  went  on  Paul  sud 
denly,  "I  wonder  if  it  has  destroyed  the  marks 
Allen  left  whereby  the  mine  is  to  be  found?" 

Chet  stared  at  him  speechless. 

"  Perhaps  !  "  he  gasped  at  last.  "  Come,  let  us 
go  on  and  see  !  " 


CAUGHT   IN   A   CYCLONE  115 

There  was  considerable  difficulty  in  getting  out 
of  the  hollow  into  which  they  had  so  uncere 
moniously  thrust  themselves.  Rush  was  some 
what  frightened  still,  and  instead  of  riding  him, 
they  led  him  out  by  a  circuitous  way  which  took 
them  nearly  a  hundred  yards  out  of  their  path. 

They  found  the  trail  almost  impassable  in  spots, 
and  more  than  once  were  compelled  to  make  a 
wide  detour  in  order  to  avoid  fallen  trees  and 
gathered  brush. 

"  A  cyclone  like  that  can  do  more  damage  than 
can  be  repaired  in  ten  years,"  observed  Chet  as 
they  labored  along  on  foot.  "I  wonder  where  it 
started  from  ?  " 

"  Somewhere  out  on  the  flatlands  near  the  river, 
I  reckon,"  returned  Paul. 

On  they  went  around  trees  and  rocks  and 
brush,  until  the  way  grew  so  bad  that  both  came 
to  an  involuntary  halt. 

"It  looks  as  if  the  very  trail  had  been  swept 
away,"  said  Paul.  l>  I  can't  see  anything  of  it 
ahead." 

"Nor  I.  Whoever  would  have  thought  of  such 
a  thing  when  we  left  home?" 

"We  can't  go  on  in  this  direction,  that's  sure. 
What's  best  to  be  done  ?" 


n6  THREE   YOUNG  RANCHMEN 

Both  looked  around  for  several  minutes  and 
then  decided  to  cross  a  rocky  stretch  to  the  right. 
They  had  to  do  this  with  great  care,  as  the  road 
was  full  of  sink  holes  and  crevices,  and  they  did 
not  want  to  break  a  leg  or  have  the  horse  in 
jured. 

The  stretch  crossed,  they  found  themselves  on 
a  little  hill.  All  about  them  could  be  seen  the 
effects  of  the  cyclone,  not  a  tree  or  bush  had 
escaped  its  ravages. 

"It  looks  as  if  the  landmarks  Allen  had  men 
tioned  had  been  swept  away,"  said  Paul,  as  he 
gazed  around  hopelessly.  "I  can't  see  the  first 
of  them." 

"It  would  certainly  seem  so,"  rejoined  Chet. 
"If  they  are,  they  won't  be  able  to  locate  the 
mine  again,  excepting  to  sail  down  the  under 
ground  river." 

"That  is  so  —  excepting  Uncle  Barnaby  turns 
up  with  another  and  better  way  of  locating  it," 
replied  Paul  very  seriously. 


CHAPTER   XIV. 
ANOTHER  SURPRISE 

THE    desolation    on    all    sides   of   them    and  the 
failure    to    locate  the   marks  Allen  had  men 
tioned    caused    Paul    and    Chet    to    become    much 
downcast.     They  had  had  their  long  and  tedious 
journey  from  the  ranch  home  for  nothing. 

"I  suppose  there  isn't  anything  to  do  but  to 
go  back,"  remarked  Chet  dismally,  as  he  thrashed 
around  in  the  brush  with  a  stick  he  had  picked 
up.  *'*  We  are  as  far  away  from  the  mine  as 
we  were  when  we  started." 

"Let  us  be  in  no  hurry  to  return,"  rejoined 
Paul.  "We'll  give  Rush  a  chance  to  get  back  his 
wind." 

Leaving  the  trusty  animal  to  roam  about  as 
pleased  him,  the  two  boys  threw  themselves  on  the 
grass  and  gave  themselves  up  to  their  reflections. 

"  I'll  tell  you  what  I  would  like  to  do,"  re 
marked  Chet.  "  I  would  like  to  find  the  chap  who 
cleaned  us  out  of  that  seven  hundred  dollars." 

(117) 


Il8        THREE  YOUNG  RANCHMEN 

44 1  wonder  that  Allen  didn't  get  Watson  to 
stop  the  horse  thieves  and  search  them,"  mused 
Paul.  "He  must  have  known  they  had  the 
money." 

"He  was  too  played  out  to  think  of  much  just 
then,  I  reckon.  It  was  a  good  deal  to  escape  with 
the  horses  without  getting  shot." 

"The  cross  we  found  in  the  barn  belonged  to 
that  Saul  Mangle  beyond  a  doubt.  The  initials 
prove  that." 

"  I  believe  you." 

"We  must  watch  out  for  that  Mangle,  and  if 
we  can  ever  get  our  hands  on  him,  make  him 
give  up  our  money  and  then  have  him  locked  up." 

"It  is  not  so  easy  to  lock  up  a  man  when  you  are 
miles  and  miles  away  from  a  jail." 

An  hour  went  by,  and  the  boys  thought  it  time 
to  start  on  the  return.  Rush  was  called  back  from 
a  thicket  into  which  he  had  wandered  and  both 
mounted,  for  the  trail  now  lead  almost  entirely 
down  hill. 

After  the  cyclone  the  sun  had  come  out  strong 
and  hot,  and  halfway  back  to  the  ranch  the 
brothers  were  glad  enough  to  stop  beside  the  bank 
of  a  tiny  mountain  stream  and  obtain  a  drink  and 
water  the  horse. 


ANOTHER   SURPRISE  119 

They  were  about  to  depart  when  Rush  pricked 
up  his  ears  and  gave  a  peculiar  whinny. 

"  Hush!  What  does  that  mean?  "  Paul  asked 
in  quick  alarm. 

**  Draw  behind  the  brush  and  see,"  replied  Chet, 
cautiously.  "  Those  horse  thieves  may  be  still 
in  the  vicinity." 

"  Oh,  they  would  not  remain    here,"    said   Paul. 

Yet  he  followed  his  brother  behind  the  brush. 
They  tried  to  make  Rush  come,  too,  but  for  once 
the  animal  would  not  obey. 

"  Come,  Rush,  come,"  whispered  Chet.  "Why 
he  never  acted  this  way  before." 

"  The  cyclone  upset  his  mind,  I  reckon,"  said 
Paul,  with  a  faint  show  of  humor.  "Make  him 
come." 

But  the  more  Chet  tried  the  more  obstinate  did 
the  animal  become.  Finally  he  broke  away  al 
together  and  ran  off,  kicking  up  his  heels  behind 
him. 

"  Well,  I  never!  "  gasped  Chet. 

"  Quick,  after  him!  I  believe  he  means  to  run 
away!  "  cried  Paul. 

"Rush  run  away!"  said  Chet  reproachfully. 
It  hurt  him  a  good  deal  to  have  Paul  speak  in 
that  fashion  of  the  horse  he  so  loved. 


120        THREE  YOUNG  RANCHMEN 

Both  boys  leaped  from  *the  thicket  and  after 
Rush,  who  was  now  running  up  the  bank  of  the 
stream  at  top  speed.  A  turn  was  made  and 
the  brothers  burst  out  into  a  loud  and  joyous 
shout. 

There,  not  fifty  feet  away,  was  Lilly,  the  faith 
ful  mare  Allen  had  fancied  was  drowned  in  the 
Black  Rock  River.  Rush  stood  beside  her,  licking 
her  neck  affectionately. 

"  Allen's  horse!  "  cried  Chet. 

"And  as  well  as  ever  almost,"  added  Paul,  as 
he  rushed  up  and  began  an  examination. 

The  mare  was  evidently  glad  to  see  both  the 
boys  and  her  mate.  She  stood  trembling  as  Chet 
and  Paul  examined  her. 

"A  few  slight  bruises,  that  is  all,"  said  Paul. 
44  Won't  Allen  be  glad  when  he  hears  of  it?  " 

44  Indeed  he  will  be.  He  loves  Lilly  as  if  she 
was  his  best  girl.  It's  a  good  thing  for  us,  too, 
Paul,"  he  went  on.  "Now  each  can  have  a 
mount  home." 

4 'Right  you  are  —  if  Lilly  can  carry  me." 

Paul  was  speedily  on  the  mare's  back.  She 
seemed  willing  enough  to  carry  him ;  in  fact, 
glad  to  be  in  the  keeping  of  a  human  being  she 
knew. 


ANOTHER   SURPRISE  121 

"  If  she  could  only  talk  what  a  tale  she  would 
have  to  tell,"  observed  Paul  as  they  rode  home 
ward.  "  I  wonder  how  she  got  out  of  the  river?  " 

44  I  reckon  we'll  never  know,  unless  Allen  makes 
her  talk.  He  can  make  her  do  most  everything," 
laughed  Chet. 

On  they  went  over  the  rocks  and  the  level 
prairie  beyond.  The  sun  was  now  sinking  in  the 
west,  and  ere  long  the  evening  shadows  would 
be  upon  them. 

**  Well,  we  found  a  horse  even  if  we  didn't  find 
a  mine,  and  that's  something,"  said  Paul,  as 
they  reached  the  trail  beside  the  river. 

"  But  I  hope  that  the  mine  isn't  lost  for  good," 
replied  Chet,  quickly.  k'The  mine  is  worth  a 
good  deal  more  than  even  Lilly." 

"Maybe  you  can't  tell  that  to  Allen." 

44  Oh,  yes  I  can;  for  he  saw  the  wealth  there, 
you  know." 

44  If  only  he  finds  Uncle  Barnaby,"  sighed  Paul. 
44  Do  you  know,  the  more  I  think  of  it,  the  more  I 
become  convinced  that  something  dreadful  has 
happened  to  him." 

44  And  that  is  the  way  I  look  at  it,  too,  Paul. 
If  we  could ' ' 

Chet  stopped  short  and  stared  ahead.  v  They  had 


122        THREE  YOUNG  RANCHMEN 

come  in  sight  of  the  semi-stockade  around  their 
ranch  house. 

"Our  furniture  and  trunks!"  gasped  Paul,  fol 
lowing  the  direction  of  Chet's  stare.  "What 
on  earth  does  it  mean  ?  " 

There  on  the  grass  lay  their  furniture  in  a  con 
fused  mass  —  tables,  chairs,  trunks,  clothing,  one 
on  top  of  another.  And  in  another  heap  were 
the  farming  implements  from  the  barn. 

"Captain  Grady's  dirty  work!"  cried  Paul. 
"He  has  come  here  and  taken  possession  during 
our  absence." 

Paul  was  right,  for  at  that  moment  Captain 
Grady  appeared  at  the  stockade  gate,  gun  in 
hand. 

The  sarcastic  smile  on  the  captain's  face  told 
plainly  that  he  rather  enjoyed  the  situation.  He 
gazed  at  the  boys  without  saying  a  word. 

His  left  hand  was  tied  up  in  a  bandage,  showing 
that  he  had  not  entirely  escaped  the  gun  traps 
which  had  been  set.  As  a  matter  of  fact,  half 
a  dozen  bird  shot  still  remained  in  the  fleshy  part 
of  his  thumb. 

"What  does  this  mean?"  demanded  Paul  at 
length.  He  spoke  as  calmly  as  he  could,  although 
tremendously  excited. 


ANOTHER  SURPRISE  123 

'* Reckon  you  have  eyes  an'  can  see,"  growled 
Captain  Grady.  "I  told  you  that  you  hadn't 
seen  the  end  of  this,  in'  that  I  would  have  this 
place  in  my  possession  putty  quick." 

''You  had  no  right  to  break  into  our  house 
and  fire  our  things  out!"  cried  Chet. 

"  I  deny  as  how  it's  your  house,  youngster.  It 
belongs  to  me,  as  does  the  whole  ranch  prop 
erty.  There  be  your  traps,  an'  the  quicker  you 
git  them  off  this  ground  the  better  it  will  suit 
me." 

"We  won't  move  a  thing  until  we  put  them 
back  into  that  house,"  retorted  Chet  hot-headedly. 
"This  is  no  way  to  gain  possession,  and  you 
know  it." 

"Halt  where  you  are!"  Captain  Grady  raised 
his  gun  and  pointed  it  at  Chet,  who  was  in  ad 
vance.  "You'll  not  come  near  this  gate,  mind 
that!" 

"  I'm  going  in,  and  you  won't  stop  me,"  re 
torted  Chet. 

"  Don't  be  rash,  Chet,"  whispered  Paul,  riding 
up  and  plucking  his  younger  brother  by  the 
sleeve. 

"  You  try  and  cross  this  gateway  and  I'll  fire  on 
you,  sure  as  fate,"  went  on  the  captain. 


124        THREE  YOUNG  RANCHMEN 

Urged  by  Paul,  Chet  brought  Rush  to  a  stand. 
The  boys  were  about  thirty  feet  from  where 
Captain  Grady  stood  on  guard. 

"Now,  the  best  thing  you  fellers  can  do," 
said  the  captain,  sharply,  "is  to  ride  over  to 
Dottery's  ranch,  an'  git  a  wagon  an'  tote  these 
traps  away.  If  they  are  left  more  'n  a  week 
I'll  pitch  them  into  the  river,  mind  you.  If 
you  ain't  satisfied  at  the  way  matters  have 
turned,  you  can  go  to  law,  just  as  you  advised 
me  to  do,"  and  again  the  man  smiled  sarcastic 
ally. 

"We  certainly  will  go  to  law,'  replied  Paul. 
"Are  you  alone  here?" 

"That's  not  for  you  to  ask." 

"  I  presume  you  hung  around  here  and  saw  my 
brother  go  off  first  and  then  waited  for  us  to  go 
away." 

"  I  ain't  standing  here  as  a  target  for  questions," 
growled  Captain  Grady. 

"You  are  a  sneak  and  worse,  Captain  Grady!" 
burst  out  Chet.  "If  there  is  any  law  in  Idaho 
you  shall  have  your  full  dose  of  it,  mark  my 
word!  " 

"Hi!  you  young  bantam,  don't  talk  to  me  in 
that  fashion,"  roared  the  man  in  a  rage.  "  Come, 


ANOTHER  SURPRISE  125 

I've  told  you  what  is  best  to  do.  Now  clear  out. 
I  shall  keep  watch,  an'  if  you  attempt  to  play 
any  trick  in  the  dark  on  me  you'll  find  your 
self  running  up  against  a  charge  of  buckshot." 

That  Captain  Grady  was  in  dead  earnest  was 
very  evident.  He  scowled  viciously  and  walked  a 
step  forward. 

Yet  the  boys  were  not  daunted.  They  held  their 
ground,  and  Paul  even  took  a  slight  move  forward 
on  Lilly's  back. 

"  Supposing  we  go  to  Dottery's  ranch,"  said  the 
youth.  "  If  we  tell  our  story,  don't  you  imagine 
Dottery  will  turn  in  and  help  us  bounce  you  out  of 
here?" 

"  No,  you'll  get  no  help  at  Dottery's." 

"  He  is  our  friend,  and  he  will  not  stand  up  for 
your  doings,  even  if  you  do  own  the  ranch  over 
the  river." 

"Well,  why  don't  you  go  an'  see  Dottery," 
snapped  Captain  Grady. 

"We  will  —  and  some  other  people,  too,"  cried 
Chet. 

"And  in  the  meantime,  if  any  of  our  stuff  is 
lost,  you'll  pay  for  it,"  added  Paul. 

"  I  won't  be  responsible  for  anything.  Now 
clear  out  an'  leave  me  alone." 


126        THREE  YOUNG  RANCHMEN 

The  two  brothers  looked  at  each  other.  Neither 
knew  exactly  what  to  do.  Paul  finally  made  a 
sign  to  withdraw,  and  they  turned  and  rode  down 
the  river  trail  to  the  belt  of  cottonwoods. 

Captain  Grady  remained  at  the  gateway,  his 
baneful  eyes  on  them  until  the  trees  hid  them 
from  view.  Then  he  shut  the  heavy  gate  and 
walked  slowly  toward  the  house,  rubbing  his 
grizzled  chin  reflectively. 

"They  won't  come  back  to-night,  I'm  pretty 
certain  of  that,"  he  said  to  himself.  "  An'  by 
to-morrow  I'll  be  better  fixed  to  hold  my  own." 


CHAPTER  XV. 
AT  DOTTKRY'S  RANCH 

IT'S  a  shame,  Paul!"  ejaculated  Chet,  almost 
crying  with  rage.  "We  ought  to  have 
shot  him  where  he  stood." 

"I  suppose  many  a  man  would  have  done  it," 
returned  Paul,  somewhat  moodily.  "  But  we  must 
get  him  out." 

"He  won't  go  out  without  a  fight." 

"I  think  he  will  —  when  we  get  enough  of  a 
crowd  against  him.  I  more  than  half  believe  he 
is  totally  alone,  although  the  furniture  and  other 
stuff  look  as  if  he  had  had  somebody  to  help 
him." 

"He's  been  hanging  around  watching  his 
chance,"  went  on  Chet.  "  Who  knows  but  what 
he  has  been  spying  on  us  ever  since  his  last 
visit." 

"Oh,  I  trust  not,  Chet!"  Paul  looked  much 
disturbed.  "He  may  have  overheard  some  of 
our  talk  about  Uncle  Barnaby's  mine,  you  know." 

(127) 


128        THREE  YOUNG  RANCHMEN 

"That's  so!  What  if  he  did!  He  is  rascal 
enough  to  try  to  locate  it  and  set  up  a  claim,  eh?" 

"Undoubtedly.  Come  on;  the  best  we  can  do 
is  to  ride  to  Dottery's  and  try  to  obtain  help. 
It's  a  long  journey  by  night,  but  there's  nothing 
else  to  do." 

"I  won't  mind  it  —  if  only  Dottery  will  turn 
in  and  help  us.  He  ought  to,  but  he  always  was 
a  peculiar  fellow.  He  may  not  want  to  make 
an  enemy  of  Captain  Grady,  seeing  as  the  ranches 
adjoin.  But  come  on,  while  daylight  lasts." 

And  off  the  two  brothers  struck,  along  the  river 
trail,  and  then  down  the  road  Allen  and  Noel 
Urner  had  pursued  on  their  way  to  the  far-away 
railroad  station.  They  realized  that  in  another 
hour  darkness  would  be  upon  them. 

The  boys  knew  the  way  well,  having  traveled 
it  a  dozen  times  in  search  of  stray  cattle.  They 
rode  on,  side  by  side,  urging  on  the  tired  horses 
and  discussing  the  situation  in  all  its  various 
phases. 

Slowly  the  sun  faded  from  view  behind  the 
distant  mountains,  casting  long  shadows  over  the 
foothills  and  the  level  stretches  beyond.  The 
night  birds  sang  their  parting  song,  and  then 
came  the  almost  utter  silence  of  the  night. 


AT  DOTTERY'S  RANCH  129 

"  When  do  you  suppose  we'll  reach  Dottery's?" 
questioned  Chet,  after  several  miles  had  been 
covered. 

"  If  all  goes  well,  we'll  get  there  by  one  or 
two  o'clock,"  returned  his  brother.  "You  must 
remember  we  have  Demon  Hollow  to  cross,  and 
that's  no  fool  of  a  job  in  the  dark." 

"  Especially  if  the  Demon  is  abroad,"  laughed 
Chet.  He  was  only  joking,  and  did  not  believe  in 
the  old  trappers'  stories  about  the  ghost  in  hiding 
at  the  bottom  of  the  rocky  pass. 

When  darkness  fell  the  hoofstrokes  of  the  horses 
sounded  out  doubly  loud  on  the  semi-stony  road. 
Yet,  to  the  boys,  even  this  was  better  than  that 
intense  stillness,  which  made  one  feel,  as  Chet  ex 
pressed  it,  "a  hundred  miles  from  nowhere  at  all." 

So  tired  were  the  horses  that  the  boys  had  their 
hands  full  making  them  keep  their  gait.  They 
would  trot  a  few  steps  and  then  drop  into  a  stolid 
walk. 

"  I  don't  blame  them  much,"  said  Chet,  sym 
pathetically.  "  It's  doing  two  days'  work  in  one. 
But  never  mind,  they  shall  have  a  good  rest  when 
it's  all  over." 

By  ten  o'clock  it  was  pitch  dark.  To  be  sure 
the  stars  were  shining,  but  they  gave  forth  but  a 
9 


130        THREE  YOUNG  RANCHMEN 

feeble  light.  The  boys  had  to  hold  their  animals 
at  a  tight  rein  to  keep  them  from  stumbling  into 
unexpected  holes. 

"  It  will  be  nearer  three  o'clock  than  two  before 
we  get  there  at  this  rate,"  grumbled  Paul.  "  Just 
look  ahead  and  see  how  dark  and  forbidding  the 
Hollow  looks." 

"Not  the  most  cheerful  spot  in  the  world 
truly,"  rejoined  Chet,  as  he  strained  his  eyes  to 
pierce  the  heavy  shadows.  "  Let  us  get  past  it 
as  soon  as  we  can." 

"Afraid,  Chet?" 

"Oh,  no,  only  I  —  I  would  rather  be  on  the 
level  trail  beyond  the  pass." 

Paul  said  no  more,  having  no  desire  to  hurt  his 
younger  brother's  feelings.  To  tell  the  exact 
truth,  he  himself  felt  a  bit  "off."  It  was  grow 
ing  toward  midnight. 

Down  and  down  led  the  road,  between  two 
rocky  crags.  Soon  the  last  trace  of  light  was  left 
behind,  and  they  had  to  let  the  horses  pick  their 
own  way  as  best  they  might. 

Suddenly  Chet  gave  a  start  and  a  cry. 

"O,  Paul,  what  is  that?" 

"Where?" 

"Over  to  the  left." 


AT   DOTTERY'S  RANCH  131 

Paul  turned  in  his  saddle.  As  he  did  so  an 
object  not  over  two  feet  in  length  and  of  a  gray 
and  white  color,  with  some  black,  swept  to  one 
side  of  them. 

"Can  it  be  a  pig?"   gasped  Chet. 

44  A  pig?  No,  it's  a  badger,  out  on  the  forage. 
Don't  you  smell  him?" 

Chet  recovered  and  unslung  his  gun.  He  tried 
to  take  aim  in  the  gloom. 

"Don't  fire!"  said  Paul.  "What  is  the  use? 
It's  only  a  waste  of  ammunition.  The  badger 
isn't  hurting  anything,  and  he's  a  good  distance 
from  the  ranch.  Let  him  go." 

By  the  time  Chet  had  listened  to  all  this  the 
badger  had  disappeared.  The  animal  was  not 
used  to  being  aroused  and  was  more  frightened 
than  any  one. 

They  passed  on.  The  very  bottom  of  the  Hol 
low  was  at  hand.  The  horses  proceeded  slowly, 
realizing  the  peril  of  the  place. 

Once  Rush  went  down  into  a  hole  nearly  throw 
ing  Chet  over  his  head.  But  the  youth  held  on, 
and  Rush  arose  all  right,  with  nothing  but  a  slight 
scrape  on  his  left  foreleg. 

They  peered  with  watchful  eyes  up  and  down 
the  silent  pass.  Not  a  sign  of  any  life  was  there. 


132        THREE  YOUNG  RANCHMEN 

The  water  flowed  on  with  a  muffled  murmur  and 
the  wind  sighed  through  the  deep  opening,  and 
that  was  all.  In  another  five  minutes  the  pass 
was  left  behind. 

For  some  reason  both  boys  drew  a  long  breath 
of  relief  when  the  high  ground  beyond  was 
reached.  The  strain  was  gone,  and  now,  by  con 
trast,  the  road  looked  as  bright  to  them  as  if  the 
sun  was  about  to  rise. 

"Come  to  think  of  it,  we  may  as  well  take  it 
easy,"  remarked  Paul.  "It  isn't  likely  that  Dot- 
tery  will  care  to  make  a  move  before  daylight." 

"Yes;  but  if  we  get  there  sooner,  we'll  have 
a  chance  to  rest  up  a  bit,  and  we  need  that,  and 
so  do  the  horses." 

"  I  didn't  think  of  that.     Well,  forward  we  go." 

An  hour  passed  and  then  another.  Soon  after 
Chet  gave  a  joyous  cry. 

"There  are  Dottery's  outbuildings!  We'll  soon 
be  there  now!  " 

"Right  you  are,  Chet.  I  wonder "  Paul 

stopped  short.  "  Oh,  look  over  there!  "  he  cried. 

He  pointed  to  a  barn  not  a  great  distance  back 
from  the  road. 

The  door  of  the  structure  was  open  and  within 
flashed  the  light  of  a  lantern. 


AT   DOTTERY'S  RANCH  133 

"Dottery  must  be  up,  or  else "  began  Chet. 

"Horse  thieves!  " 

Both  boys  uttered  the  word  simultaneously. 
Could  it  be  possible  that  the  thieves  were  raid 
ing  their  nearest  neighbor? 

"Wait.  Let  us  dismount  and  investigate," 
whispered  Paul.  "  Don't  do  anything  rash,"  this 
as  Chet  started  to  run  toward  the  barn. 

Thus  cautioned,  the  younger  boy  paused.  The 
horses  were  tied  up  behind  some  brush,  and,  guns 
in  hand,  the  pair  crept  across  the  road  and  over 
a  wire  fence  into  the  field. 

Hardly  had  they  advanced  a  dozen  steps  when 
three  men  came  out  of  the  barn,  leading  four 
horses.  They  made  for  an  opening  in  the  fence 
not  a  rod  from  where  the  boys  flung  themselves 
flat  on  the  grass. 

From  the  description  they  had  received,  the  lads 
made  up  their  minds  that  the  men  were  Saul 
Mangle,  Darry  Nodley,  and  Jeff  Jones. 


CHAPTER   XVI. 
AN  ENCOUNTER  IN  THE  DARK 

CHET  and  Paul  could  hardly  suppress  their  ex 
citement  as  they  saw  the  horse  thieves  move 
toward  the  opening  in  the  fence.  Chet  drew  up 
his  gun  and  pointed  it  at  the  leader. 

"  Don't  fire!  Wait!"  cautioned  Paul.  li  There 
are  three  of  them,  remember." 

"  I  wonder  where  Dottery  is?"  questioned  the 
younger  boy,  with  his  hand  still  on  the  trigger. 

"  Asleep,  most  likely." 

"  We  ought  to  arouse  him.  Run,  Paul,  while  I 
keep  watch." 

44 1  will,  but  don't  do  anything  rash  during  my 
absence,"  replied  Paul  Winthrop. 

He  sneaked  along  in  the  tall  grass  until  the 
outbuildings  were  left  a  hundred  feet  and  sped 
like  a  deer  toward  the  ranch  home,  showing  dimly 
in  the  grim  shadows  ahead. 

Less  than  sixty  seconds  passed,  and  he  was 
pounding  vigorously  on  the  front  door  of  the 
(134) 


AN   ENCOUNTER   IN  THE   DARK  135 

heavy  log  building.  Not  content  with  using  his 
fist  he  banged  away  with  the  toe  of  his  cowhide 
boot. 

"  Who's  thar?  "  came  from  within  presently. 

"  Mr.  Dottery!  " 

"  That's  me,  stranger." 

"Come  out.  It's  Paul  Winthrop.  There  are 
horse  thieves  at  your  barn." 

"What!"  roared  Dottery.  He  was  a  heavy- 
built  man,  with  a  voice  like  a  giant.  "  The  same 
chaps  ez  robbed  you  ?  " 

He  unbarred  the  door  and  came  out  on  a  run, 
gun  in  hand  and  a  long  pistol  in  his  belt.  He  was 
an  old  settler,  and  rarely  took  the  trouble  to 
undress  when  he  went  to  rest  for  the  night. 
•  "  Yes,  the  same,  unless  I  am  very  much  mis 
taken.  My  brother  Chet  is  down  there  now  on 
the  watch." 

"  I'll  fix  'em.     Go  back  and  call  Jack,  my  man." 

Paul  hesitated  and  then  did  as  directed.  It 
took  some  time  to  arouse  the  cowboy,  Jack  Blow- 
fen,  but  once  aroused,  the  man  quickly  took  in 
the  situation,  and  arming  himself,  joined  the  boy 
in  a  rush  after  Dottery. 

"The  pesky  rascals!"  he  muttered.  "  Yer 
brother  told  us  about  'em  when  he  stopped  here 


136        THREE  YOUNG  RANCHMEN 

on  his  way  to  the  railroad  station.  It's  a  pity 
Ike  Watson  didn't  plug  every  one  of  'em  when 
he  had  the  chance.  Next  thing  yer  know  they'll 
be  runnin'  off  with  a  bunch  o'  cattle." 

"Be  careful  when  you  shoot;  my  brother  Chet 
is  there,"  continued  Paul,  not  wishing  Chet  to 
be  mistaken  for  a  horse  thief  in  the  dark. 

"I  know  the  lad,  and  I  also  know  this  Saul 
Mangle  and  his  crowd,"  returned  Jack  Blowfen. 
44 1  owe  Mangle  one  for  the  way  he  treated  me 
in  Deadwood  one  day." 

He  ran  so  swiftly  that  Paul  had  hard  work  to 
keep  up  with  him.  Dottery  had  already  disap 
peared  in  the  darkness  of  the  night. 

Bang !  Bang  !  The  shots  came  from  behind 
the  barn,  while  Paul  was  some  distance  away. 
It  was  Dottery  firing  at  the  thieves.  Jack  Blow- 
fen  was  chasing  them  down  by  the  wire  fence. 

"Paul!  Paul!     Hold  on  !  " 

It  was  Chefs  voice.  As  he  cried  out  the  lad 
arose  from  the  grass  and  caught  his  brother  by 
the  sleeve.  Paul  had  passed  so  close  that  he  had 
almost  trodden  on  Chet. 

"Come  on,   Chet." 

"  I'm  coming.  But  hadn't  we  better  look  to 
our  horses  ?  " 


AN   ENCOUNTER  IN  THE   DARK  137 

"In  a  minute.  Let  us  find  out  what  that 
firing  means." 

Paul  led  the  way  in  the  direction  of  the  barn. 
There,  in  the  gloom,  they  saw  two  men  strug 
gling  violently.  They  were  Dottery  and  the 
negro,  Jeff  Jones.  The  other  horse  thieves  and 
Jack  Blowfen  were  nowhere  in  sight. 

Two  horses  were  running  about  wildly,  alarmed 
by  the  shots  in  the  dark.  Both  were  bridled  but 
had  no  saddles. 

"Catch  the  bosses!"  yelled  Dottery,  as  he 
made  out  the  forms  of  the  boys.  "  Don't  let  'em 
get  out  of  that  break  in  the  fence!  " 

"Have  you  that  man?"  cried  Paul. 

"I  will  have  in  a  second." 

The  brothers  ran  for  the  animals  as  directed. 
It  was  no  light  work  to  secure  them.  When  it 
was  accomplished  they  ran  the  horses  into  the 
barn  and  closed  the  doors.  As  they  came  out 
panting  from  their  exertions,  they  heard  a  gun 
shot  from  the  brush  on  the  opposite  side  of  the 
road,  and  then  the  voice  of  Jack  Blowfen  call 
ing  out : 

"  Let  them  hosses  go,  you  rascals  !  Take  that, 
Saul  Mangle,  fer  the  trick  yer  played  me  in  Dead- 
wood!  " 


138        THREE  YOUNG  RANCHMEN 

"Rush  and  Lilly!  "  gasped  Chet.  He  said  no 
more,  but  started  in  the  direction  of  the  encoun 
ter.  He  was  determined  his  ho  •>  should  not  be 
taken  again.  Paul  came  on  his  '  is.  Both  boys 
were  now  sufficiently  aroused  t  ,  i'ght  even  with 
their  firearms.  The  wire  fence  was  cleared  at  a 
single  bound  and  into  the  brush  they  dove  pell- 
mell. 

That  Jack  Blowfen  was  having  a  fierce  hand- 
to-hand  contest  with  his  antagonist  was  plain. 
The  boys  could  hear  both  men  thrashing  around 
at  a  lively  rate. 

kt  You've  hit  me  in  the  leg,  and  I'll  never  for 
give  you  for  it!"  they  heard  Saul  Mangle  ex 
claim.  "  How  do  you  like  that,  you  milk-and- 
water  cow  puncher?  " 

tk  I  don't  like  it,  and  ain't  going  ter  stand  it, 
yer  low  down  boss  thief  and  gambler,"  returned 
Jack  Blowfen,  and  then  came  the  fall  of  one  body 
over  another,  just  as  Paul  and  Chet  leaped  into  the 
little  opening  where  the  battle  was  taking  place. 

They  saw  Jack  Blowfen  on  his  back  with  Saul 
Mangle  on  top  of  him.  The  horse  thief  had  the 
butt  of  a  heavy  pistol  raised  threateningly.  He 
looked  alarmed  at  the  unexpected  appearance  of 
the  boys. 


AN   ENCOUNTER  IN  THE   DARK  139 

"  Let  up  there  !  "  sang  out  Paul.  "  Let  up  at 
once !  " 

The  cry  and  the  glint  of  the  boys'  weapons 
decided  Mangle.  With  a  low  muttering  he  gave 
Jack  Bio wf en's  body  a  kick  and  sprang  for  the 
bushes. 

Chet  and  Paul  went  after  him,  leaving  the 
cowboy  to  stagger  to  his  feet  and  regain  his  pis 
tols. 

The  boys  followed  Mangle  not  over  a  dozen 
feet.  Then  they  came  upon  Darry  Nodley,  who 
had  several  horses  in  a  bunch,  among  them  Rush 
and  Lilly.  The  man  had  been  waiting  for  the 
leader  of  the  gang  to  finish  his  row  with  Blow- 
fen. 

Saul  Mangle  was  ahead  of  the  two  boys,  but 
ere  he  could  leap  upon  the  back  of  the  nearest 
animal  Paul  ran  up  to  him  and  seized  him  by 
the  arm. 

"  Stop!  "  he  ordered.  "  You  cannot  take  those 
horses.  We  will  shoot  you  both  if  you  attempt 
it!  " 

44  The  Winthrop  youngsters,"  muttered  Darry 
Nodley.  "How  did  they  find  their  way  here?" 

He  attempted  to  move  on,  thinking  Mangle 
would  follow.  But  now  Chet  barred  the  way. 


140        THREE  YOUNG  RANCHMEN 

The  ranch  boy  had  his  gun  up  to  his  shoulder 
and  there  was  a  determined  look  on  his  sunburnt 
face.  He  was  fighting  for  Rush  as  much  as  for 
anything  else. 

44  Get  down  !  "  was  all  he  said,  but  the  tone 
in  which  the  words  were  uttered  left  no  room 
for  argument. 

Darry  Nodley  hesitated  and  thought  at  first 
to  feel  for  his  own  gun.  But  then  he  changed 
his  mind.  He  saw  that  Chet  was  thoroughly 
aroused,  and  saw,  too,  that  Jack  Blowfen  was 
coming  up. 

"We'll  have  to  make  tracks,"  he  cried  to  Saul 
Mangle,  and  leaped  to  the  ground,  putting  the 
horse  between  himself  and  Chet,  and  ran  for  the 
bushes. 

In  the  meantime  Paul  and  Saul  Mangle  were 
having  a  hand-to-hand  fight.  The  boy  fought 
well,  and  the  wounded  man  had  all  he  could  do 
to  defend  himself.  Finally  he  went  limping  after 
Nodley,  but  not  before  Paul  had  relieved  him  of 
his  gun.  The  brave  lad  could  have  shot  the  thief 
with  ease,  but  could  not  bring  himself  to  take  the 
risk  of  killing  his  antagonist. 

"  Where  are  they?  "  roared  Jack  Blowfen,  com 
ing  up.  "Which  way  did  they  go?" 


AN   ENCOUNTER   IN    THE    DARK  141 

Paul  pointed  in  the  direction.  At  once  Blowfen 
ran  off.  In  another  second  Chet  and  Paul  were 
left  alone  with  the  horses.  The  sounds  from  the 
distance  told  them  that  Saul  Mangle  and  Darry 
Nodley  were  doing  their  best  to  escape  from  the 
neighborhood. 

"Our  money!"  cried  Chet.  "We  ought  to 
have  made  an  effort  to  get  that  seven  hundred 
dollars  !  " 

"That's  so — but  it's  too  late  now,  unless  we 
go  after  the  pair  on  horseback." 

"  Let  us  return  Dottery's  horses  to  the  barn  first 
and  see  how  he  has  made  out  with  the  negro." 

They  took  the  horses  in  charge  and  passed  with 
them  across  the  road  and  through  the  break  in 
the  wire  fence.  At  the  barn  they  found  the 
ranch  owner  in  the  act  of  making  Jeff  Jones  a 
close  prisoner  by  tying  his  hands  and  legs  with 
odd  bits  of  harness  straps. 

"Got  this  one,  anyway,"  growled  Dottery. 
"  Whar  are  the  others  ?  " 

"Jack  Blowfen  has  gone  after  them/'  replied 
Paul.  "  Here  are  your  horses." 

*'*  Good  enough.  Say,  will  you  watch  this  man 
if  I  follow  Jack  ?  "  went  on  the  ranch  owner, 
anxiously. 


T42        THREE  YOUNG  RANCHMEN 

"Of  course,"  exclaimed  Chet.  "If  you  can 
capture  Saul  Mangle,  do  so.  We  believe  he  has 
seven  hundred  dollars  belonging  to  us." 

"  So  Allen  told  me." 

The  boys  took  charge  of  the  negro,  and  mount 
ing  one  of  the  horses  Caleb  Dottery  rode  out  of 
the  inclosure.  He  took  the  lantern  with  him, 
thus  leaving  those  behind  in  darkness. 

"Strike  a  light,  Chet,  and  see  if  you  can't 
find  another  lantern  in  the  barn/  said  Paul.  "I'll 
watch  Jones  so  he  don't  get  away." 

"  Dis  am  werry  hard  on  a  poah  man,"  moaned  the 
negro.  He  was  fearfully  frightened,  for  he  knew 
full  well  how  stern  was  the  justice  usually  meted 
out  to  horse  thieves  in  that  section  of  the  country. 

"You  ought  to  have  thought  of  that  before 
you  started  in  this  business,"  replied  Paul. 

"It  was  Mangle  coaxed  me  into  de  work,  sah. 
He  said  as  how  he  had  a  right  to  de  hosses." 

"Indeed!  I  suppose  he  said  he  had  a  right 
to  our  horses,  too,"  went  on  the  youth,  with  a 
sarcasm  that  was  entirely  lost  on  the  prisoner. 

"Yes,   sah." 

"In  that  case  you  will  have  to  suffer  for  your 
simpleness,"  was  Paul's  short  response.  He  did 
not  believe  the  colored  man. 


AN  ENCOUNTER  IN   THE   DARK  143 

"No  lantern  in  the  barn,  so  far  as  I  can  see," 
called  out  Chet.  ' '  Better  march  the  fellow  up 
to  the  house." 

"  He  can't  march  with  his  legs  tied." 

"  I  reckon  he  can  hobble  a  bit." 

Jeff  Jones  was  unwilling  to  move,  thinking 
he  had  a  better  chance  of  escape  while  out  in 
the  open.  But  Chet  and  Paul  each  caught  him 
by  the  arm,  and  groaning  and  trembling  the  colored 
man  was  forced  to  move  slowly  toward  the  ranch 
home. 

Before  moving  to  the  house  Chet  had  driven 
the  horses  into  the  barn  and  locked  the  door,  so 
now  the  animals  were  safe,  at  least  for  the  time 
being. 

It  was  found  that  Jeff  Jones  had  received  an 
ugly  wound  in  the  shoulder.  This  Paul  set  to 
work  to  dress,  taking  good  care,  however,  that  the 
prisoner  should  be  allowed  no  chance  of  escape. 

"Wot  is  yo'  gwine  to  do  wid  me?"  asked 
Jeff  Jones  as  the  work  progressed.  "  Ain't  gwine 
ter  tote  me  ter  town,  is  yo'  ?  " 

"That  depends  upon  what  Mr.  Dottery  says," 
replied  Chet.  "  He's  the  boss  of  this  ranch." 

"  Better  let  me  go,"  urged  the  colored  man. 
i4  If  yo'  don't  dar  will  be  big  trouble  ahead." 


144        THREE  YOUNG  RANCHMEN 

11  Don't  imagine  we  are  to  be  scared  so  easily," 
returned  Chet,  smartly.  "We  have  a  bigger 
rascal  to  deal  with  even  than  you,"  he  added. 

"  Yo'  mean  Saul  Mangle?  " 

"  No,  I  mean  Captain  Hank  Grady,"  replied  the 
boy,  without  stopping  to  think. 

"Captain  Hank  Grady!  Wot  yo'  know  ob 
him?"  ejaculated  Jeff  Jones.  "Did  yo'  know 

about  him  and  yo'  Uncle  Barnaby "  the 

colored  man  broke  off  short. 

"My  Uncle  Barnaby!"  exclaimed  Chet. 
"  What  made  you  think  of  him  in  connection  with 
Captain  Grady?" 

"Oh,  I  know  a  lot  about  him  an'  de  captain." 
said  Jeff  Jones  suggestively.  "  A  heap  dat  maybe 
yo'  boys  would  gib  a  lot  ter  know  about." 


CHAPTER  XVII. 
SOMETHING  ABOUT  A  LETTER 

ALLEN  WINTHROP  knew  full  well  that  he  had 
a  long  journey  before  him  and  one  that 
would,  perhaps,  be  full  of  peril,  yet  his  heart  did 
not  fail  him  as  he  and  Noel  Urner  rode  away, 
bound  first  for  Dottery's  ranch,  and  then  for  the 
railroad  station,  over  a  hundred  miles  away. 

"You  must  keep  up  a  stout  heart,  Allen," 
said  the  young  man  from  the  east.  "Perhaps 
all  is  well  with  your  uncle  in  spite  of  appear 
ances." 

"  I  am  not  daunted  by  what  lies  ahead,"  said 
the  young  ranchman.  "  But  I  am  convinced  that 
Uncle  Barnaby  has  been  led  into  some  great 
trouble.  Were  it  otherwise  we  would  surely  have 
heard  from  him  ere  this." 

At  Dottery's  they  put  up  over  night,  and  set  off 
at  sunrise  in  the  morning ;  Allen  riding  the  ani 
mal  from  the  ranch  and  Noel  using  a  large  and 
powerful  beast  hired  to  him  by  Dottery. 

10  (US) 


146        THREE  YOUNG  RANCHMEN 

"Thirty-five  miles  to-day,"  observed  Allen,  as 
they  pushed  on  along  a  somewhat  hilly  trail,  lined 
on  either  side  by  cactus  and  other  low  plants. 

"  Is  that  the  distance  to  Daddy  Wampole's  hotel, 
as  you  call  it?" 

"Yes  —  by  the  roads.  The  direct  route  would 
not  make  it  over  thirty  miles,  but  we  can't  fly  as 
the  birds  do." 

"We  ought  to  make  thirty-five  miles  easily 
enough." 

"  We  could  on  a  level.  But  you  must  remember 
we  have  several  hills  to  climb  and  half  a  dozen 
water  courses  to  ford.  I  imagine,  too,  you  will 
get  tired  of  the  saddle  before  nightfall." 

"Oh,  I  can  stand  it,"  laughed  Noel  Urner, 
"thanks  to  my  experience  in  the  riding  schools 
in  New  York  and  my  frequent  exercises  in  Central 
Park." 

"A  big  difference  between  Central  Park  and 
this,  eh?  I  would  like  to  see  the  park  some  time," 
returned  Allen. 

On  they  went,  taking  advantage  of  the  early 
morning  while  the  sun  was  still  low.  The  level 
stretch  was  passed  and  then  they  came  to  a 
good-sized  brook.  Beyond  was  a  belt  of  timber 
and  the  first  of  the  hills. 


SOMETHING  ABOUT  A  LETTER       147 

They  watered  the  horses  and  took  a  drink  them 
selves,  and  pushed  on  without  stopping  further. 
Allen  knew  they  must  keep  on  the  move  if  they 
expected  to  reach  Daddy  Wampole's  crossroads 
ranch  before  the  evening  shadows  fell. 

On  through  the  forest  of  spruce  and  hemlock, 
with  here  and  there  a  tall  cottonwood,  they  spurred 
their  horses.  The  foot  of  the  hill  was  soon  reached, 
and  up  they  toiled. 

"A  grand  country,"   murmured  Noel  Urner. 

"And  big  room  for  improvements,"  returned 
Allen,  grimly.  "It  will  take  a  deal  of  labor  to 
put  this  land  in  shape  for  use." 

"We  never  realize  what  the  pioneers  had  to 
contend  with  when  they  first  settled  this  country 
until  we  see  things  as  they  are  here.  To  cut 
down  forests,  level  the  land,  build  houses  and 
barns,  and  fix  roads  —  it's  an  immense  amount  of 
labor,  truly." 

At  noon  they  halted  near  the  top  of  a  second 
hill,  and  here  started  up  just  enough  of  a  fire  to 
boil  themselves  a  pot  of  coffee.  They  had  brought 
jerked  meat  and  crackers  from  home  and  made  a 
comfortable,  if  not  luxurious  meal.  In  twenty 
minutes  they  were  again  on  the  way,  the  horses 
in  the  meantime  having  also  been  fed. 


148        THREE  YOUNG  RANCHMEN 

"  Daddy  Wampole's  ranch  is  our  post  office," 
explained  Allen,  as  they  rode  along  side  by  side. 
"The  mail  comes  down  from  Deadwood  once  a 
week.  It's  not  very  extensive  and  Wampole 
usually  puts  everything  in  a  soap  box  and  lets 
every  comer  pick  out  whatever  belongs  to  him." 

Noel  laughed.  "I've  heard  of  such  doings 
before,"  he  said.  "I  suppose  he  has  another  box 
of  letters  to  be  mailed." 

"  Exactly." 

"It's  not  a  very  safe  way  to  do.  Letters  might 
easily  be  stolen  or  taken  by  mistake.  Who  knows 
but  what  some  communication  from  your  uncle 
was  carried  off  by  another?  " 

Allen's  face  grew  serious.  "  I  never  thought  of 
that.  But  who  would  be  mean  enough  to  do  it?  " 

' '  The  man  who  sent  that  forged  letter  to  me 
would  be  mean  enough." 

"So  he  would  !  I  must  ask  Wampole  if  he 
remembers  any  letter  addressed  to  us." 

It  was  now  the  hottest  part  of  the  day.  The 
road  was  dry  and  dusty  and  the  horses  hung  out 
their  tongues  as  they  toiled  onward.  All  were 
glad  when  they  reached  a  portion  of  the  road 
overhung  by  huge  rocks  a  hundred  feet  or  more 
in  height. 


SOMETHING  ABOUT  A  LETTER       149 

"  A  day  in  the  saddle  seems  a  long  while,"  said 
Noel  Urner. 

"And  we  have  four  more  days  to  follow," 
smiled  Allen.  "  I  was  afraid  it  would  tire  you." 

"  Oh,  I  am  all  right  yet,  Allen.  But  look,  what 
is  that  ahead,  a  building?  " 

"That's  the  crossroads  hotel.  Come,  we  have 
less  than  a  mile  more  to  go." 

The  sight  of  the  rude  building  ahead  raised 
Noel  Urner's  spirits.  Off  he  went  on  a  gallop, 
with  Allen  close  at  his  heels.  In  ten  minutes  they 
drew  up  at  the  rude  horse  block  and  dismounted. 

Old  Daddy  Wampole,  then  a  well-know  char 
acter  throughout  Idaho,  came  out  on  the  porch  of 
his  ranch  to  greet  them. 

"  Back  ag'in,  hey?  "  he  called  out  to  Allen. 
"  Wall,  thar  ain't  no  new  mail  in  sense  ye  war 
here  afore." 

"  I  know  that,  Daddy,"  replied  the  young  man. 
"  I  didn't  come  for  the  mail,  exactly.  My  friend 
and  I  are  bound  for  the  railroad  station." 

"  Goin'  ter  San  Francisco?  " 

"  Yes ;  we  want  to  stop  here  to-night." 

"  Ye  air  welcome  ter  do  thet,"  and  Daddy  Wam 
pole  gave  Noel  a  friendly  nod. 

The  young    man  was    introduced    and    all    three 


150        THREE  YOUNG  RANCHMEN 

entered  the  ranch,  one  room  of  which  did  duty  as 
a  general  store,  barroom,  and  post  office.  Before 
anything  else  could  be  spoken  of,  Allen  ques 
tioned  Wampole  concerning  the  letters  which  had 
been  in  the  box  for  several  weeks  back,  and  the 
people  who  had  called  for  them. 

"  I  don't  remember  much  about  the  letters,  but  I 
recerlect  thet  Cap'n  Grady  took  most  all  ez  came 
in,"  was  the  suggestive  reply  from  the  so-styled 
postmaster. 

"So  he  took  most  of  the  letters,  did  he?  "  said 
Allen,  slowly.  "  How  many  of  them,  on  a  rough 
guess? " 

"Seven  or  eight." 

"  And  you  can't  remember  if  any  of  them  were 
addressed  to  me?" 

n  No,  I  don't  recerlect  thet,  Allen,  but  hold 
on  —  do  ye  suspect  the  cap'n  o'  tamperin'  with 
yer  mail?  " 

"I  don't  believe  he  is  above  such  an  action," 
replied  the  young  man,  bluntly. 

"  Wall,  neither  do  I,  privately  speakin'.  I  was 
goin'  ter  say,"  went  on  the  ranch  owner  slowly, 
"  when  the  cap'n  got  the  letters  he  walked 
over  there  to  the  old  place  and  tore  'em  open. 
Maybe " 


SOMETHING  ABOUT  A  LETTER       151 

There  was  no  need  for  the  man  to  go  on.  Allen 
had  already  left  the  apartment  and  was  hurrying 
across  the  road  to  what  had  in  former  days  been  the 
only  house  in  the  section. 

It  was  a  rude  affair,  now  half  fallen  into  decay. 
Outside,  under  the  overhanging  logs  of  the  roof, 
was  situated  a  bench  sometimes  used  by  travelers 
as  a  resting  place.  Here  many  a  yarn  had  been 
told,  and  many  a  44hoss  deal"  talked  over  and 
closed. 

Straight  to  the  bench  went  Allen,  and  in  the 
fading  light  looked  eagerly  on  all  sides  for  bits  of 
paper  of  any  kind.  He  found  a  great  number  and 
gathered  them  all  into  his  empty  dinner  pouch. 
When  he  was  sure  there  were  no  more  scraps 
in  the  vicinity  he  returned  to  the  house. 

"Well,  what  have  you?  "asked  Noel  Urner, 
with  interest. 

44 1  have  nearly  fifty  scraps  of  letters,"  said 
Allen.  44 1  must  look  them  over  at  once." 

A  lamp  was  lit,  and,  spreading  out  the  scraps  on 
a  large,  flat  board,  Allen  set  to  work  to  sort  out 
the  various  pieces.  It  was  tedious  work  and  Noel 
Urner  assisted  him. 

Suddenly  the  young  ranchman  uttered  a  low 
cry. 


152        THREE  YOUNG  RANCHMEN 

"Look!  Here  is  part  of  a  letter  that  was  ad 
dressed  to  me,"  he  said. 

And  he  held  up  a  scrap  which  bore  the  words  : 
" — you  and  Chet  can  meet  me  and  Paul " 

"Is  it  in  your  uncle's  handwriting?  "  questioned 
the  young  man  from  the  east. 

"Yes." 

"Then  it  would  seem  as  if  some  one  had  stolen 
your  letter,  certainly." 

"  That's  just  what  was  done!  "  ejaculated  Allen. 
"  I  wonder "  he  stopped  short. 

"What  do  you  wonder?" 

"I  wonder  if  Captain  Grady  had  anything  to 
do  with  Uncle  Barnaby's  disappearance." 

"The  cap'n  air  a  slick  one,"  put  in  Daddy 
Wampole.  "  I  never  liked  him  from  the  day  I  fust 
sot  eyes  onto  him.  An'  seein'  as  how  he's  achin' 
ter  git  thet  ranch  from  ye  boys,  why,  it  ain't 
surprisin'  he  took  thet  letter  and  would  do  more, 
if  'twas  fer  his  own  benefit." 

"  It  won't  be  for  his  benefit  if  I  find  he  is  playing 
such  an  underhand  game,"  rejoined  Allen,  grimly. 
The  thought  that  Captain  Grady  had  stolen  his 
letter  angered  him  thoroughly.  "He  fancies  that 
we  are  only  three  boys,  but  he'll  find  out  that  even 
boys  can  do  something  when  they  are  put  to  it." 


SOMETHING   ABOUT   A   LETTER  153 

"It's  a  pity  you  didn't  find  the  rest  of  the 
letter,"  observed  Noel  Urner.  "No  doubt  that 
letter  was  of  great  importance.  It  might  be  best 
to  hunt  up  this  Captain  Grady  and  learn  the  truth 
from  him  before  we  push  further  for  the  rail 
road  station." 

"The  trouble  is  the  cap'n  air  hard  to  find," 
said  Daddy  Wampole.  "He  ain't  on  his  ranch 
more  'n  a  quarter  o'  his  time.  Ye  know  he's  as 
much  interested  in  mines  ez  he  is  in  cattle." 

The  mention  of  mines  gave  a  new  turn  to  Allen's 
thoughts.  Had  that  communication  from  Uncle 
Barnaby  contained  any  reference  to  the  valuable 
claim  over  by  the  Black  Rock  River? 

"If  it  did,  then  Captain  Grady  will  rob  Uncle 
Barnaby  as  sure  as  fate,"  thought  the  young  ranch 
man,  with  an  inward  groan. 


CHAPTER    XVIII. 
ALLEN  CHANGES  His  PLANS 

A  MOMENT  later  a  clatter  of    horse's    hoofs    on 
the  road  outside  betokened  another  arrival. 
Catching  up  his   gun,  Daddy  Wampole  strode  out 
to  see  who  it  was. 

' '  Ike  Watson  !  Wot  brings  ye  here  ? ' '  Allen 
heard  him  cry,  and  then  ran  out  to  greet  the  old 
hunter. 

"Allen,  by  all  the  good  fortunes  o'  the  Rock 
ies!  "  ejaculated  Ike  Watson.  "  Jes'  the  boy  I'm 
pinin'  ter  see." 

"  And  I'm  mighty  glad  to  see  you,  too,  Ike," 
returned  the  young  ranchman.  "I  want  a  bit  of 
advice,  and  you  are  just  the  man  to  give  it  to 
me." 

"Advice?  I'm  ready  to  give  ye  bushels  o' 
it,  if  it  will  do  ye  the  least  bit  o'  good,  lad. 
But  wot  are  ye  doin'  here?  Why  ain't  ye 
hum?" 

(154) 


ALLEN   CHANGES   HIS   PLANS  155 

'*  I  came  here  on  my  way  to  the  railroad  station, 
I  am  bound  for  San  Francisco  to  hunt  up  Uncle 
Barnaby." 

"Gee  whiz!  Now  thet's  what  I  call  fortu 
nate  !  If  I  hadn't  a  cotched  ye,  ye  would  be  goin' 
off  on  a  wild  goose  chase,  with  no  end  to  the 
trail." 

"A  wild  goose  chase?  O,  Ike,  have  you  word 
from  my  uncle  ? ' ' 

"No,  I  ain't  got  no  word  from  him,  but  I  got 
word  in  a  way  thet  two  rascals  didn't  dream 
on." 

"But  what  do  you  know?"  questioned  Allen 
impatiently. 

"Not  much,  ter  tell  the  truth,  an'  yet  a  good 
deal.  It  happened  this  mornin',  when  I  wuz  down 
to  Casey's  Fork.  I  wuz  ridin'  along  the  old  B'ar 
Trail  when  along  comes  a  couple  o'  the  worst 
lookin'  bad  men  ye  ever  seed.  Sez  one  to  tudder, 
'  If  we  can  make  him  tell  us  whar  the  mine  is,  we 
will  all  become  millionaires.'  Then  sez  tudder, 
'We'll  make  him  speak.  We  didn't  trap  Barnaby 
Winthrop  inter  leavin'  San  Francisco  fer  nuthin'.' 
The  fellers  wuz  on  the  bottom  trail,  while  I  wuz 
up  on  the  rocks.  I  tried  to  git  to  'em  to  make 
'em  tell  me  wot  wuz  the  meanin'  of  it  all,  when 


156        THREE  YOUNG  RANCHMEN 

they  spied  me  comin'  down,  an'  by  the  grass 
hoppers  o'  Kansas!  ye  ought  ter  hev  seed  'em  put 
an'  scoot.  They  got  out  o'  sight  in  a  jiffy,  an' 
I  couldn't  locate  'em,  try  my  best.  I  hung  around 
an  hour,  an'  then  I  made  up  my  mind  ter  ride 
over  an'  tell  ye  wot  I  hed  heard." 

Not  only  Allen,  but  also  Noel  Urner  and  Daddy 
Wampole  were  astonished  by  the  revelation  Ike 
Watson  made. 

"  Uncle  Barnaby  trapped  into  leaving  San 
Francisco!  "  gasped  Allen.  "  Did  they  say  where 
they  had  taken  him?  " 

"Didn't  say  nuthin'  more 'n  I  told  ye,"  re 
sponded  the  hunter  from  Gold  Fork.  "  Leas'wise, 
didn't  say  nuthin'  ez  I  could  hear." 

' '  Who  were  the  men  ?  " 

"I  don't  know,  'ceptin'  I  seed  'em  hangin' 
around  Jordan  Creek  about  six  months  ago.  Like 
ez  not  they  belong  to  the  old  Sol  Davids  gang. 
Nearly  every  one  up  thet  water  course  belonged  to 
thet  gang." 

"Would  you  know  them  if  you  saw  them 
again?  " 

"  Sartinly  —  I'm  powerful  good  at  recerlectin' 
faces  onct  I  see  'em." 

"  Where  do  you  suppose  the  men   went  to?  " 


ALLEN  CHANGES   HIS   PLANS  157 

**  Rode  off  in  the  direction  o'  Black  Rock  River 
Canyon." 

Allen  started.  Could  it  be  possible  they  sus 
pected  the  claim  was  up  in  that  neighborhood? 
It  was  more  than  possible. 

The  young  ranchman  turned  to  Noel  Urner. 
"  Noel,  I'm  going  to  change  my  plans.  I  am  go 
ing  after  those  two  men  instead  of  going  to  San 
Francisco." 

"  It  would  certainly  seem  a  useless  trip  now," 
replied  the  young  man  from  New  York,  slowly. 
**  There  is  not  the  slightest  doubt  but  what  your 
uncle  was  decoyed  away  from  San  Francisco. 
Where  he  is  now  is  a  mystery  which  those  two 
men  must  solve  for  you  —  they  or " 

"  Captain  Grady,"  finished  Allen,  impulsively. 
'*  I  feel  it  in  my  bones  that  he  is  in  this  plot 
against  Uncle  Barnaby." 

"  It  would  seem  so." 

"  How  do  ye  make  that  out?"  asked  Ike  Wat 
son. 

In  a  few  words  Allen  told  the  old  hunter  about 
the  missing  letter. 

"  Gee,  shoo!  He  are  one  o'  the  gang,  sartin!  " 
cried  Ike  Watson.  "The  best  ye  can  do  is  to 
start  in  an'  round  'em  all  up." 


158        THREE  YOUNG  RANCHMEN 

"Thet's  the  talk,"  put  in  Daddy  Wampole. 
"The  state  would  be  a  hundred  per  cent  better 
off  with  'em  fellers  out  o'  it." 

Allen   gazed  at    Ike   Watson  earnestly. 

"Will  you  help  me    in  this  work?"    he    asked. 
'  You  know  more  about  these  bad  men  than  I  do." 

"Will  I  help  ye?  Allen  ye  ought  ter  know 
better  than  ter  axt  sech  a  question.  O'  course 
I'll  help  ye.  I  ain't  got  much  ter  do.  Them 
new  claims  up  the  Salmon  kin  wait  well  enough." 

"  I  would  help  ye,  too,  if  I  could  git  away,"  said 
Daddy  Wampole.  "  Thet  gang  worried  me 
enough  for  six  years,  goodness  knows  !  " 

"And  what    of   you?"  Allen    turned    to    Noel. 
'  You    see    how    matters    stand.     I   don't  want  to 
ask  you  to  go,  for  we  may  have  some  rough  times, 
and  " 

"I  came  out  to  see  rough  times,"  interrupted 
the  young  man  from  the  east.  "So  unless  you 
think  I'll  be  too  much  of  a  hindrance,  I  would  like 
greatly  to  accompany  you  wherever  you  go.  You 
must  remember  that  I,  too,  am  anxious  to  find 
your  uncle." 

"Then,  thet's  settled,"  said  Ike  Watson.  He 
did  not  much  fancy  having  the  company  of  a 
"tenderfoot,"  but  Noel's  manner  pleased  him. 


ALLEN  CHANGES  HIS  PLANS  159 

A  long  discussion  followed.  While  it  was 
in  progress  Mrs.  Wampole  prepared  a  hot  supper, 
to  which  later  on  Allen  and  the  others  did  full 
justice. 

It  was  decided  to  remain  at  the  crossroads  hotel 
all  night,  and  the  three  retired  early,  that  they 
might  make  a  start  before  sunrise. 

It  must  be  confessed  that  the  young  ranchman 
slept  but  little.  His  mind  was  in  a  whirl  over 
all  he  had  discovered,  and  he  shuddered  whenever 
he  thought  that  his  uncle  might  possibly  be  in 
peril  of  his  life. 

44  Those  men  would  indeed  dare  all  for  gold, 
as  those  initials  on  the  cross  imply,"  he  said  to 
himself.  4t  What  a  pity  they  were  not  extermi 
nated  the  time  old  Sol  Davids  was  lynched." 

Toward  morning  Allen  dropped  off  into  a 
troubled  slumber,  to  be  awakened  with  a  start 
by  a  touch  from  Ike  Watson's  hand  an  hour  later. 

44  Time  ter  climb  below  an'  feed  up,  Allen," 
cried  the  old  hunter.  "  We  hev  a  long  ride  afore 
us,  ez  ye  know." 

44  That's  true!"  cried  the  young  ranchman, 
springing  to  his  feet ;  and  Ike  went  off  to  arouse 
Noel  Urner. 

The    young    man    from    New    York    felt    rather 


160        THREE  YOUNG  RANCHMEN 

stiff  from  his  ride  of  the  day  previous.  Yet  he 
did  not  complain,  and  did  all  he  could  to  make 
the  others  believe  he  felt  in  perfect  trim  for 
another  day  in  the  saddle. 

After  a  substantial  but  hasty  breakfast  the  horses 
were  saddled  and  they  were  off,  Daddy  Wampole 
waving  his  hand  after  them  and  wishing  them 
the  best  of  luck. 

"  We'll  make  for  Casey's  Fork  fust  o'  all,"  said 
Ike  Watson.  "Perhaps  I  can  pick  up  the  trail 
thar.  If  I  can't  we  kin  push  on  toward  the 
Salmon  an'  trust  ter  luck." 

Allen  was  doubtful  if  the  old  hunter  could  pick 
up  the  trail  after  having  once  lost  it,  but  in  lieu  of 
something  better,  he  agreed  to  Watson's  plan. 
Noel,  of  course,  was  willing  to  go  wherever  the 
others  led. 

It  was  high  noon  when  Casey's  Fork,  a  rough 
lot  of  rocks  in  a  bend  of  the  Umihalo  Creek,  was 
reached.  Allen  and  Noel  were  glad  enough  to 
dismount  in  the  shadow  of  the  rocks  while  Ike 
Watson  went  off  on  a  tour  of  inspection. 

The  old  hunter  was  gone  so  long  that  Allen 
at  last  grew  alarmed. 

"  Something  ig  wrong,  or  he  would  be  back 
ere  this,"  he  said.  "Let  us  go  after  him." 


ALLEN  CHANGES  HIS  PLANS  161 

But  hardly  had  they  mounted  when  they  heard 
a  shout  ahead.  Looking  beyond  a  belt  of  bushes 
they  saw  Ike  Watson  waving  his  hand  to  them. 

"  Found  it  !  "  he  cried  as  they  came  up.  "  They 
took  the  creek  road  over  ter  the  forest  trail.  The 
marks  are  fresh,  showin'  they  didn't  move  on 
until  dark  last  night." 

"Then  they  can't  be  many  miles  ahead!  "cried 
Allen.  "  Oh,  if  we  can  only  keep  the  trail  till 
we  catch  up  to  them !  " 

"No  time  ter  lose,"  said  Ike  Watson,  and 
once  more  they  continued  the  pursuit,  this  time 
faster  than  before. 

Yet  at  the  end  of  two  miles  they  came  to  a 
sudden  halt.  The  trail  led  down  to  the  bank  of 
a  shallow  stream  and  there  disappeared  from 

view. 
iz 


CHAPTER   XIX. 
ALONG  THE  WATER  COURSE 

«X"">ONE!"   burst  from  Allen's  lips. 
Vj       "  What's  to  do  now?  "  asked  Noel  Urner. 

Ike  Watson  halted  in  perplexity  for  fully  a 
minute.  Then  he  dismounted  and  waded  into 
the  stream,  which  was  scarcely  a  foot  to  a  foot 
and  a  half  in  depth. 

"Ho!  ho!  ho!"  he  laughed,  suddenly.  "I 
thought  so  !  No,  ye  can't  play  thet  game  hyer." 

"What  now,  Ike?"  questioned  the  young 
ranchman. 

"They  went  up  in  the  middle  o'  this  yere 
stream,  thinkin'  they  could  throw  me  off  the 
trail.  See,  hyer  are  the  marks  ez  plain  ez  the 
nose  on  Cap'n  Grady's  face."  And  the  old 
hunter  pointed  into  the  clear  water. 

Leaving  Allen  to  bring  his  horse,  Watson 
walked  slowly  along  the  bed  of  the  stream, 
taking  good  care  not  to  step  into  any  deep 
holes.  In  this  manner  half  a  mile  was  covered, 


ALONG  THE  WATER  COURSE       163 

when,  at  a  point  where  the  brush  along  the 
bank  was  thin,  the  trail  led  out  once  more  on 
the  dirt  and  rocks. 

"An  old  trick,  but  it  didn't  work  this  trip," 
chuckled  Ike  Watson  to  himself,  as  he  once 
more  resumed  his  seat  in  the  saddle. 

"  What  I  am  thinking  of  is,  wrhat  made  them 
suspicious,  after  they  were  so  far  from  Casey's 
Forks,"  said  Allen. 

"Perhaps  their  guilty  consciences."  laughed 
Noel. 

"  Thet,  an'  because  they  thought  I  might  be 
follerin'  'em,"  added  Ike  Watson.  "Hullo! 
What  does  this  mean?" 

He  had  followed  the  trail  around  a  belt  of 
timber.  Beyond  was  a  wall  of  rocks,  and  here 
were  traces  of  a  recent  camp  —  a  smoldering 
fire  and  some  odds  and  ends  of  crackers  and 
meat. 

"We  ain't  far  behind  'em,  boys!"  he  went 
on.  "This  fire  wuz  tended  ter  less  than  a  couple 
o'  hours  ago." 

"Then  let  us  push  on,  by  all  means,"  re 
turned  Allen.  "If  we  can  catch  those  two  men 
before  they  have  a  chance  to  join  any  of  their 
evil  companions,  so  much  the  better." 


1 64  THREE  YOUNG  RANCHMEN 

"The  trail  leads  along  the  rocks,"  observed  Noel. 
"  Have  you  any  idea  where  we  are  going?  " 

"  Idee  !  I  know  this  yere  country  like  a  book," 
said  Ike  Watson.  "  Don't  ye  git  'feered  o'  bein' 
lost  so  long  ez  ye  stay  nigh  me." 

"I  don't  mean  that.  I  mean,  do  you  know 
where  the  men  went  from  here  ? ' ' 

"Up  to  Grizzly  Pass,  most  likely,  an'  then 
along  over  ter  the  Black  Rock  Canyon.  Eh, 
Allen?" 

"It  would  seem  so,"  responded  Allen  seri 
ously. 

"Grizzly  Pass;  rather  a  suggestive  name,"  said 
Noel. 

"  Ye-as ;  especially  when  a  big  grizzly  shows 
hisself,"  drawled  Watson,  and  there  the  conversa 
tion  dropped. 

Despite  the  fierce  sunshine,  it  was  deliciously  cool 
along  the  base  of  the  rocky  wall,  and  the  horses 
made  good  progress  over  the  hard  but  level  trail. 
Here  and  there  immense  brier  bushes  overhung 
the  way,  but  these  were  easily  avoided  by  the 
animals,  who  were  more  afraid  of  them  than  were 
their  riders. 

Presently  the  trail  took  an  upward  course,  lead 
ing  between  a  split  in  the  rocks. 


ALONG  THE  WATER  COURSE        165 

"Ye  want  ter  be  careful  hyer,"  cautioned  Ike 
Watson.  "It's  a  mighty  slippery  spot  fer  the 
best  o'  hoss  flesh." 

Scarcely  had  he  spoken  when  Noel  Urner  gave 
a  cry  of  alarm. 

He  was  in  the  rear,  and  both  the  old  hunter 
and  Allen  turned  quickly  to  see  what  was  the 
matter. 

They  found  Noel's  horse  on  his  knees,  having 
slipped  to  one  side  of  the  trail. 

The  young  man  was  on  the  ground,  one  foot 
caught  in  the  stirrup. 

"  Stop  the  hoss!  "  cried  Watson.  "  If  ye  don't 
he'll  bang  the  young  man's  head  off !  " 

Before  he  had  ceased  speaking  Allen  was  on 
the  ground.  He  ran  back  and  caught  Noel's  horse 
by  the  bridle.  The  young  man  from  the  east 
was  partly  stunned,  and  it  was  several  seconds 
before  he  could  recover  sufficiently  to  disengage 
his  foot  and  arise  from  his  dangerous  position. 

"Good  for  you,  Allen!  "  he  cried,  as  he  stood 
by,  while  the  young  ranchman  assisted  the  horse  to 
a  safe  spot  in  the  trail.  "  I  was  afraid  I  was  in 
for  it." 

"  Ye  did  jes'  the  right  thing,  Allen,"  put  in  Ike 
Watson.  "  Dunno  but  wot  ye  hed  better  walk 


166        THREE  YOUNG  RANCHMEN 

a  brief  spell,"  he  went  on  to* Noel,  who  was  only 
too  glad  to  do  so. 

Half  an  hour  later  the  top  of  the  rocks  was 
reached,  and  they  moved  back  to  where  the  way 
was  smooth  and  safe.  A  lunch  was  had  from  the 
pouches,  and  on  they  went  as  fast  as  the  fatigued 
horses  would  carry  them. 

"  I  can  see  no  trail,"  said  Noel,  as  he  rode 
abreast  of  his  companions. 

"  There  ain't  no  need  ter  see  a  trail  hyer," 
replied  Ike  Watson.  "This  yere  way  is  a  blind 
pocket  fer  all  o'  these  three  miles.  Ye  couldn't 
go  no  different  if  ye  tried.  Byme-by,  when  we 
come  out  on  Sampson's  flats,  we'll  look  for  the 
trail  ag'in." 

"We  ought  to  catch  up  to  those  men  before 
we  reach  the  flats,"  remarked  Allen.  "They 
must  be  tired  out  by  that  climb." 

"We  ain't  fur  off,"  rejoined  Watson.  "  Jes' 
keep  silent  half  an  hour  longer,  an'  we'll " 

He  broke  off  short,  reigned  in  his  steed,  and 
pointed  ahead. 

Allen  looked  eagerly  in  the  direction.  Under 
the  spreading  branches  of  a  giant  pine  rested 
two  men.  Not  far  from  them  two  horses  were 
hoppled.  The  men  looked  thoroughly  tired. 


ALONG  THE  WATER  COURSE        167 

Both  were  smoking  pipes  and  leaning  against 
the  tree  with  their  eyes  closed. 

"  Let  us  dismount  and  tiptoe  our  way  to  them," 
whispered  Allen.  "  If  we  secure  their  horses  first 
they  will  have  no  chance  to  get  away  from  us." 

44  A.  good  plan,  lad,"  returned  Watson,  in  an 
equally  low  tone.  "  Supposin'  ye  an'  I  leave 
our  nags  with  Mr.  Urner?  " 

This  was  agreed  upon,  and  after  dismounting 
the  horses  were  led  behind  some  heavy  brush  by 
the  young  man  from  the  east. 

Then,  with  their  weapons  ready  for  use,  Allen 
and  old  Ike  Watson  stole  cautiously  forward  to 
where  were  grazing  the  animals  belonging  to 
the  two  bad  men  from  Jordan  Creek. 

Allen  and  the  old  hunter  from  Gold  Fork  went 
about  their  work  as  silently  as  possible.  The 
horses  were  somewhat  in  the  rear,  and  so  they 
made  a  detour,  coming  up  behind  the  dozing  men 
as  softly  as  twin  shadows. 

The  animals  reached,  the  next  thing  was  to  re 
lease  them.  This  was  speedly  accomplished,  and 
it  was  Allen  who  led  them  off,  while  Ike  Watson 
still  remained  on  guard  with  his  trusty  gun  ready 
should  the  occasion  arise  to  make  use  of  the  fire 
arm. 


1 68  THREE   YOUNG  RANCHMEN 

In  less  than  three  minutes  the  young  ranchman 
was  back,  having  left  the  captured  animals  in 
Noel's  care. 

"Now,   what's  to  do?  "  he  questioned. 

"Maybe  we  hed  better  git  a  few  ropes  ready, 
in  case  we  want  ter  bind  'em,"  began  Ike  Wat 
son,  but  ere  this  idea  could  be  put  into  execution 
one  of  the  men  dropped  his  pipe,  and  the  hot 
tobacco,  falling  on  his  hand,  brought  him  upright 
with  a  start.  He  opened  his  eyes,  and  with  a 
loud  exclamation,  which  awoke  his  companion, 
leaped  to  his  feet. 

"  What  does  this  mea "  he  began. 

"  Hands  up,  ye  rascal!  "  ordered  Ike  Watson, 
so  sternly  that  instantly  both  arms  were  raised 
high  overhead.  The  horse  thief,  for  the  man  was 
nothing  less,  if  not  much  worse,  fully  understood 
that  his  opponent  had  the  "drop"  on  him  and 
would  not  stop  to  parley  unless  the  order  to  ele 
vate  his  hands  was  obeyed. 

The  second  rascal,  in  his  sitting  position,  at 
tempted  to  draw  a  pistol,  but  Allen,  producing  his 
own  weapon,  forced  the  man  to  remain  stationary. 

"We  hev  ye,  stranger,"  remarked  Watson  after 
a  second  of  silence.  "Do  ye  acknowledge  the 
corn?  " 


ALONG  THE  WATER  COURSE        169 

"  What's  the  meaning  of  this  outrage?'1 
growled  the  fellow  who  was  standing,  and  he 
scowled  fiercely,  first  at  the  old  hunter  and  then 
at  the  young  ranchman. 

"It  means  firstly  that  ye  are  in  our  power," 
chuckled  Watson.  It  was  evident  that  he  thor 
oughly  enjoyed  the  situation. 

"Well?  " 

"Then  ye  acknowledge  thet,    do  ye?," 

"I   suppose   we'll   have   to." 

"It's  Ike  Watson  from  Gold  Fork,"  put  in 
the  man  who  was  sitting. 

"Ike  Watson!"  the  face  of  the  speaker  grew 
quite  disturbed.  It  was  plain  he  had  heard  of 
Watson  before  and  did  not  relish  being  held 
up  by  the  well-known  old  man. 

"Ye-as,  I'm  Ike  Watson,"  drawled  the  old 
hunter.  "  Now.  strangers,  give  me  yer  handles, 
and  let  me  have  'em  straight." 

"My  name  is  Roe  Bluckburn,"  came  from  the 
standing  man. 

"Mine  is  Lou  Slavin,  and  I'm  not  ashamed 
of  it,"  came  from  the  other. 

"  Jes'  so,"  mused  Watson.  "  I've  heard  o'  both 
o'  yeez  belongin'  to  the  old  Sol  Davids  gang 
o'  hoss  thieves." 


jyo        THREE  YOUNG  RANCHMEN 

44  You  are  mistaken.  We  are  not  thieves  of 
any  sort,"  said  Bluckburn,  who  appeared  the 
leader  of  the  pair. 

"Well,  we  won't  quarrel  about  that,  seein' 
ez  how  we  are  on  another  trail  ter  day.  We 
want  ye  ter  up  an'  tell  us  ter  onct  whar  Bar- 
naby  Wrinthrop  is." 

44  Yes,  and  tell  us  the  truth,"  put  in  Allen, 
sternly. 

The  men  were  both  taken  aback  by  the  re 
quest.  They  exchanged  glances  and  each  waited 
for  the  other  to  speak. 

"Come,  out  with  it,  Bluckburn !"  cried  Wat 
son. 

"  Dunno   the   man  you   are  talking  about." 

"Ye  can't  come  it  thet  way.  Didn't  I  hear 
ye  talkin'  it  over  down  ter  Casey's  Forks  only 
yesterday?  Come,  out  with  the  truth,  or  take 
the  consequences!"  and  to  scare  the  horse  thief 
Ike  Watson  tapped  his  gun  barrel  suggestively. 

"Must  be  some  mistake.  We  wasn't  near 
Casey's  Fork  in  a  month.  Eh,  Lou?" 

"Nixy." 

"Ye  tell  it  so  smooth  I  would  most  believe 
ye,  if  I  hadn't  follered  ye  up,"  growled  Watson. 
"But  we  know  ye  air  in  the  deal  ag'in  Bar- 


ALONG  THE  WATER  COURSE       171 

naby  Winthrop,  an'  I  am  hyer  ter  help  his  nevvy 
thar,  Allen  Winthrop.  So  ye  hed  better  ease 
yer  mind  ter  onct.  Understand?" 

The  two  men  turned  their  attention  to  Allen 
curiously.  They  wished  to  hold  a  consultation, 
but  Watson  would  not  permit  it. 

At  that  moment  Noel  Urner  came  forward, 
having  succeeded  in  tying  all  of  the  horses  in 
a  little  grove  not  far  distant. 

He  eyed  both  of  the  prisoners  keenly,  and  then 
gave  a  start. 

"  I  saw  that  man  in  San  Francisco!  "  he  ejacu 
lated,  pointing  to  Roe  Bluckburn.  "He  was 
hanging  around  the  very  hotel  at  which  Mr. 
Barnaby  Winthrop  stopped." 

"  It  ain't  so,"  growled  Bluckburn,  but  his  face 
proclaimed  that  Noel  Urner  had  spoken  the  truth. 

"If  that  is  the  case,  then  he  is  the  one  who 
decoyed  my  uncle  away,"  put  in  Allen.  "For 
there  is  no  longer  any  doubt  in  my  mind  that 
he  was  spirited  away  in  some  fashion." 

"Air  ye  fellers  goin'  ter  speak?"  roared  Ike 
Watson,  impatiently.  "Ye  can't  expect  me  ter 
stand  hyer  with  a  gun  the  rest  o'  the  day  !  " 

"  Unless  you  do  speak,  we  shall  bind  you  and 
hand  you  over  to  the  sheriff."  said  Allen.  "We 


172        THREE  YOUNG  RANCHMEN 

believe  we  have  a  good  case  against  you  —  and 
will  have  a  better  after  Captain  Grady  is  placed 
under  arrest,"  he  added,  struck  with  a  sudden 
thought. 

"Captain  Grady!"  groaned  the  man  named 
Lou  Slavin.  "  I  reckon  the  jig  is  up,  Roe." 

"Shut  up!"  growled  Bluckburn. 

"  But  if  the  captain  is  known  wot  show  have  we 
got?"  grumbled  Slavin.  "Say?"  he  continued 
eagerly.  "I  went  into  this  thing  ag'in  my  will, 
an'  I  wish  I  was  out  of  it.  Supposin'  I  tell  yer 
the  truth  about  the  hull  gang,  does  that  save  me?  " 

"Don't  you  say  a  word,  Lou!  "  shouted  Bluck 
burn,  warningly,  but  ere  he  could  speak  further 
the  muzzle  of  Ike  Watson's  gun  caused  him  to 
retreat  up  to  the  tree,  where  he  stood,  not  daring 
to  say  another  word. 

"  Go  on  and  have  yer  say!  "  cried  the  old  hunter 
to  Lou  Slavin.  "And,  ez  I  said  before,  give  it 
ter  us  straight.  Whar  is  Barnaby  Winthrop  ?  " 

"He  is  a  prisoner,  about  ten  miles  from  here/' 
was  Slavin' s  flat  and  sudden  confession. 


CHAPTER   XX. 
MOVING  AGAINST  CAPTAIN  GRADY 

BOTH  Paul  and  Chet  Winthrop  were  deeply  in 
terested  in  the  words  uttered  by  Jeff  Jones, 
the    colored    member   of    the   horse    thieves'   gang. 

**  So  you  know  something  of  Captain  Grady 
and  our  uncle,  Barnaby  Winthrop?"  cried  Chet, 
excitedly.  "  What  do  you  know?  " 

"  Dat's  fer  you  two  fellers  ter  find  out  —  on- 
less  yer  let's  me  go,"  replied  Jeff  Jones,  sug 
gestively. 

"  You  mean  you  won't  speak  unless  we  grant 
you  your  liberty?  "  put  in  Paul. 

"  Dat's   de   way  to   figure  it." 

Paul  looked  at   Chet   inquiringly. 

"  We  can't  promise  anything  until  Mr.  Dot- 
tery  gets  back,"  said  Chet.  "But  if  you  know 
anything  about  our  uncle  you  had  better  speak 
out,  if  you  wish  us  to  do  anything  at  all  for  you." 

"I  won't  say  a  word,"  growled  the  colored  man. 

Chet  bit  his  lip  in  vexation. 

(173) 


174        THREE  YOUNG  RANCHMEN 

"Don't  you  know  what  it  is  to  have  us  able 
to  speak  a  word  for  you?"  said  Paul.  "Suppos 
ing  we  let  Jack  Blowfen  take  you  over  to  the 
next  camp  and  tell  the  men  that  you  are  a  down 
right  horse  thief?  Would  you  fancy  that?  " 

Jeff  Jones  began  to  tremble.  He  knew  what 
Paul  meant  —  that  he  would  be  lynched  inside 
the  hour.  In  that  section  of  the  country,  at  that 
time,  horse  stealing  was  considered  almost  as  bad 
as  murder. 

"No!  no!  doan  let  him  take  me  down  ter  de 
Fork  !  "  howled  Jeff  Jones.  "  Anyt'ing  but  dat, 
boys!  " 

"Well,  you  had  better  talk,  then,"  returned 
Paul,  severely. 

"I  doan  know  much,  but  I'll  tell  yo'  all  I  do 
know/'  said  the  prisoner,  after  a  short  pause,  "  and 
yo'  is  ter  do  de  best  yo'  can  fo'  me,  promise  me 
dat?" 

"We  will,"  said  Chet.  He  was  very  impatient 
for  Jeff  Jones  to  proceed. 

"Well,  den,  Captain  Grady  has  been  a-spottin' 
yo'  uncle  fer  seberal  weeks  —  eber  sence  he  got 
Massah  Winthrop  ter  leave  San  Francisco." 

"Got  him  to  leave  San  Francisco?"  queried 
Paul. 


MOVING  AGAINST  CAPTAIN   GRADY  175 

"Yes.  I  doan  know  how  de  t'ing  was  done, 
but  he  got  yo'  uncle  ter  leave  de  city  an'  now  he's 
tryin'  ter  make  him  gib  up  de  secret  ob  a  mine, 
or  sumfin  like  dat." 

"Gracious!"  burst  from  Chefs  lips.  "That 
explains  it  all.  Uncle  Barnaby  must  be  in  Cap 
tain  Grady's  power." 

"  And  by  getting  us  out  of  the  ranch  he  thought 
to  make  us  leave  the  neighborhood,"  added  Paul. 
"  Do  you  know,"  he  went  on,  "I  believe  he  is 
at  the  head  of  a  band  who  wish  to  obtain  entire 
control  of  this  section." 

"I  don't  doubt  it,  Paul,"  Chet  turned  to  the 
prisoner.  "Where  is  our  uncle  now?" 

"Dat  I  can't  say." 

"Captain  Grady  must  know." 

"  Suah  he  does." 

"Then  we'll  make  him  tell,  never  fear,"  Chet 
began  to  walk  up  and  down.  "I  wish  Mr.  Dot- 
tery  would  come  back." 

"  I  hear  somebody  down  the  road,"  said  Paul  as 
he  walked  to  the  door.  "It  must  be  the  two 
coming  back  now." 

Paul  was  right.  There  was  a  clatter  beyond  in 
the  dark,  and  a  moment  later  Cafeb  Dottery  ap 
peared,  followed  by  Jack  Blowfen. 


176        THREE  YOUNG  RANCHMEN 

"Couldn't  catch  'em  in  the  dark,"  said  Dot- 
tery,  as  he  strode  into  the  house  and  dropped  into 
a  rude  but  comfortable  chair.  "But  thank  for 
tune,  the  stock  is  safe !  " 

"Slick  rascals,  Mangle  and  Nodley,"  continued 
Jack  Blowfen.  "  But  we'll  round  'em  up  some 
day,  I'll  bet  my  sombrero  on  it." 

"We  have  just  heard  important  news,"  said 
Paul,  and  he  instantly  proceeded  to  repeat  what 
Jeff  Jones  had  said. 

Caleb  Dottery  and  his  cowboy  helper  listened 
with  interest.  The  former  gave  a  long,  low 
whistle  of  astonishment. 

"  Must  say  I  didn't  quite  think  it  of  Captain 
Grady,  though  I  allow  as  how  he's  a  slick  one," 
he  remarked.  "  Wot's  ter  do  about  it?  " 

"We  came  here  to  obtain  your  aid,"  said  Chet. 
"Captain  Grady  has  taken  possession  of  our 
ranch.  You  know  he  sets  up  some  sort  of  a 
claim  to  it." 

"  Got  yer  papers,  ain't  ye?  " 

"  No;  they  were  burned  up  when  we  had  our 
little  fire." 

"Humph!  thet's  bad!" 

"But  the  place  is  ours — father  bought  and 
paid  for  it,"  added  Paul,  warmly.  "  And  we 


MOVING  AGAINST  CAPTAIN   GRADY  177 

intend  to  get  Captain  Grady  out,  even  if  we  have 
to  fight  him." 

"Good  fer  ye!"  shouted  Jack  Blowfen. 
"  Thet's  the  way  ter  talk.  I'm  right  hyer  ter 
help  ye.  I  love  grit,  I  do  !  "  and  he  held  out 
his  big  brown  hand  to  Paul  as  if  to  bind  a 
bargain. 

**  I'll  certainly  help  ye,  too,"  said  Dottery. 
"  Ye  have  done  a  good  turn  this  night  which 
I'm  not  likely  to  forgit  in  a  hurry." 

"  This  colored  man  told  us  about  our  uncle 
and  Captain  Grady  of  his  own  free  will,"  said 
Paul.  "  So,  if  you  can  be  a  little  easy  on  him  on 
that  account  I  wish  you  would  be." 

**  Stealin'  hosses  ain't  no  light  crime  "  growled 
Dottery. 

"  An'  it  don't  improve  a  man's  reputation  to 
become  a  sneak,"  added  Jack  Blowfen. 

Yet,  after  some  talk,  it  was  agreed  to  hold  Jeff 
Jones  merely  as  a  prisoner  for  the  present,  instead 
of  carrying  him  to  the  nearest  camp  to  be  turned 
over  to  the  vigilance  committee. 

It  was  now  so  near  morning  that  to  think  of 
retiring  was  out  of  the  question.  The  men  began  to 
smoke,  and  Blowfen  stirred  about  getting  break 
fast.  At  six  o'clock  they  dined. 

12 


178         THREE  YOUNG  RANCHMEN 

"  I'll  chain  Jones  up  as  a  prisoner  in  the  house 
till  we  git  back,"  observed  Dottery,  when  the 
meal  was  finished.  "  He'll  keep  quiet  if  he  knows 
when  he  is  well  off." 

This  was  done,  and  then  both  house  and  out 
buildings  were  made  as  secure  as  possible. 

Ten  minutes  later  Paul,  Chet,  and  the  two  men 
were  on  their  way  on  horseback  to  the  Winthrop 
ranch.  All  were  armed  and  ready  for  anything 
that  might  turn  up. 

But  not  one  of  the  number  dreamed  of  the 
several  surprises  in  store  for  them. 


CHAPTER   XXI. 
SHOOTING  A  GRIZZLY  BEAR 

i«  y    WONDER  if  Captain  Grady   is    alone  or  if  he 

1  has  a  number  of  the  gang  with  him?"  ob 
served  Paul,  as  he  rode  alongside  of  his  younger 
brother,  and  just  in  front  of  the  two  men. 

"  Most  likely  he  is  expecting  trouble  and  has  help 
at  hand,"  returned  Chet.  "  He  knows  well  enough 
we  won't  give  up  our  claim  without  a  fight." 

"It's  possible  he  thought  to  frighten  us  off 
until  Allen  got  back  from  San  Francisco." 

"Don't  make  any  difference  how  much  help 
he  has,"  broke  in  Jack  Blowfen.  "He  ain't 
no  right  to  put  ye  out  like  a  couple  o'  dogs, 
an'  he  knows  it." 

In  this  manner  the  talk  went  on  until  a  little 
after  noon,  when  the  locality  known  as  Demon 
Hollow  was  reached. 

"Do  you  remember  the  badger,  Paul?" 
laughed  Chet.  "The  Hollow  looks  different  in 
the  daylight,  doesn't  it?" 

(179) 


180        THREE  YOUNG  RANCHMEN 

"Yes,    indeed,    but    still  —  what    was  that?" 

"Jumpin1  June  bugs!"  cried  Jack  Blowfen. 
44  Dottery,  did  ye  hear  that?" 

"I  did,"  replied  the  old  ranch  owner,  and 
he  clutched  his  gun  apprehensively. 

"I  heard  something,"  said  Chet.  "What 
was  it  ? " 

"A  bar,  boy,  sure  ez  ye  are  born  —  a  griz 
zly  !  " 

"Oh!" 

At  once  the  little  party  came  to  a  halt.  To 
the  right  of  them  was  a  tall  overhanging  rock, 
to  the  left  a  number  of  prickly  bushes.  Ahead 
and  behind  was  the  winding  and  uneven  road 
along  which  their  animals  had  come  on  a  walk. 

"Do  ye  see  old  Ephraim?"  asked  Jack  Blow- 
fen,  as  he,  too,  got  his  gun  in  readiness. 

"I  don't    see    anything,"    declared    Paul. 

Bang!  It  was  Chefs  gun  which  spoke.  He 
fired  up  toward  the  top  of  the  overhanging  rock. 
Scarcely  had  the  shot  rung  out  than  a  fearful 
roar  of  mingled  pain  and  rage  rent  the  air. 

"Shot  him,  by  Jupiter!"  cried  Caleb  Dottery. 
"Stand  from  under,  quick!" 

Hardly  had  the  word  been  given  than  there  was 
another  roar.  Then  a  heavy  weight  filled  the 


SHOOTING   A   GRIZZLY   BEAR  181 

air  and  down  into  the  road  leaped  a  big  brown  and 
gray  grizzly  weighing  all  of  eight  hundred  pounds. 

He  came  down  between  the  boys  and  the  two 
men,  and  no  sooner  had  he  landed  than  Dottery 
and  Blowfen  opened  fire  on  him,  both  striking  the 
beast  in  the  shoulder,  and,  consequently,  doing 
but  little  damage,  for  a  grizzly  bear  is  tough  and 
can  stand  many  shots  which  do  not  touch  his  vital 
parts. 

The  horses,  much  scared,  backed  in  all  direc 
tions,  some  going  into  the  bushes  and  others  up 
against  the  rocks. 

More  angry  than  before  the  grizzly  half  turned, 
and  then,  without  warning,  raised  up  on  his  hind 
legs  and  made  for  Chet,  whose  horse  was  now 
flat  upon  the  rocks,  having  stumbled  in  his  hasty 
retreat.  Chet  himself  was  partly  in  and  partly  out 
of  the  saddle  when  the  charge  was  made. 

"Run,  Chet,  run!"  yelled  Paul.  "He  is 
coming  for  you  !  " 

In  alarm  he  came  up  on  foot,  his  horse  refusing 
to  budge  in  the  direction  of  the  bear. 

The  bear  heard  Paul's  voice  and  for  the  second 
paused  and  turned,  as  if  to  make  sure  he  was  in  no 
immediate  danger  from  that  quarter.  Then  he 
continued  to  advance  upon  Chet. 


182         THREE  YOUNG  RANCHMEN 

Almost   overcome    with     fear,    Paul    raised    his 
gun  and  fired  at  the  bear's  head.      It  was  a   chance 
shot,  but  luckily  it  hit  the   huge   beast   in  the   ear 
The    bear   howled   with    pain,    staggered    forward 
a  few  feet  and  rolled  over  on  his  side. 

By  this  time  Dottery  and  Blowfen  had  their 
pistols  out.  Leaping  to  the  roadway,  they  ran 
forward,  and  in  less  than  a  minute  the  bear  had 
received  six  pistol  balls  and  was  kicking  in  his 
death  agony. 

It  was  Paul  who  helped  Chet  to  his  feet.  The 
boy  was  as  white  as  a  sheet  and  trembled  so  he 
could  scarcely  stand. 

"I  —  1  thought  I  was  a  goner!  "  he  stammered. 
"  What  a  big  fellow  he  is  !  " 

"The  bar  we  war  arfter  last  spring,"  said 
Jack  Blowfen  to  Dottery  as  they  examined  the 
brute.  "  See  those  marks  on  his  side  where  we 
tipped  him  ?  A  good  job  that  he  is  out  of  the 
way." 

It  was  the  second  grizzly  bear  the  boys  had 
seen  since  they  had  lived  in  that  section  and  they 
gazed  at  him  curiously.  What  white  teeth  he 
had,  and  how  powerful  he  looked!  Even  now 
that  he  was  still  and  all  was  over,  Chet  hardly 
cared  to  touch  him. 


SHOOTING  A   GRIZZLY  BEAR  183 

"I  want  to  see  no  more  of  him,"  he  said. 

"Well,  I  reckon  he's  the  last  in  this  neighbor 
hood,"  said  Caleb  Dottery.  '*  He's  the  only  one 
I've  seen  around  in  nigh  on  six  years." 

It  was  decided  to  leave  the  bear  where  he  was 
until  they  returned.  Of  course,  it  was  possible 
some  wild  animal  might  come  up  and  make  a  feast 
in  the  meanwhile,  but  this  could  not  be  helped. 
To  skin  the  animal  and  hang  up  the  meat  would 
take  too  long. 

Leaving  Demon  Hollow,  they  pushed  along  as 
rapidly  as  the  horses  would  carry  them. 

At  the  creek  they  stopped  to  water  the  animals, 
and  here  also  partook  of  the  lunch  which  Blowfen 
had  packed  up  before  starting. 

It  was  nightfall  when  they  at  last  came  in  sight 
of  the  ranch  home.  All  seemed  deserted.  Every 
building  was  tightly  closed  and  so  was  the  gate 
to  the  stockade. 

"Maybe  he  has  thought  better  of  it  and  skipped 
out,"  said  Chet. 

"  There  is  our  stuff  still  in  the  road,"  returned 
Paul,  pointing  ahead. 

In  a  moment  more  they  had  reached  the  stock 
ade.  All  four  rode  straight  up  to  the  heavy 
wooden  gate. 


1 84  THREE  YOUNG  RANCHMEN 

"I'll  have  to  jump    over   and   unbar    it,"    said 

Paul. 

"Be  careful,"  was  Caleb  Dottery's  caution. 
"This  may  be  a  trap  and " 

He  had  no  need  to  say  more. 

"  Halt!  "  came  from  the  yard  behind  the  stock 
ade.  "Stop  where  you  are  or  I'll  fire  on  you!" 

It  was  Captain  Grady  himself  who  spoke. 


CHAPTER    XXII. 
AN  IMPORTANT  CAPTURE 

OF  COURSE  Paul  made  a  prompt  retreat.  It 
would  have  been  worse  than  useless,  just 
then,  to  have  remained  where  he  was,  with  his 
hands  on  the  stockade  gate. 

The  party  outside  could  not  see  Captain  Grady, 
but  from  the  direction  of  his  voice  they  knew  he 
was  on  the  other  side  of  the  stockade  at  a  point 
where  several  peep  and  gun  holes  covered  the 
entrance. 

"That's  right,  you  better  git  back!  "  went  on 
the  captain,  as  Paul  retreated. 

"See  here,  Grady,  what  does  this  mean?"  de 
manded  Caleb  Dottery,  as  he  advanced  in  the 
direction  of  the  guard  openings. 

"It  means  that  I  have  got  possession  of  this 
ranch,  which  rightfully  belongs  to  me,  and  I 
mean  to  keep  it,"  was  the  grim  reply,  delivered 
with  great  force  and  distinctness. 

"  The  Winthrop  boys  deny  yer  rights." 

(185) 


1 86  THREE   YOUNG  RANCHMEN 

"  That  makes  no  difference.  I  know  what's 
what." 

44  Open  the  gate  and  let  us  talk  it  over  quietly," 
went  on  Dottery,  who  was  naturally  a  peaceably 
inclined  individual. 

"I'm  not  opening  the  gate  just  now.  Those 
boys  can  go  away.  I  don't  mind  you  coming 
around,  but  I  don't  want  those  boys  here." 

"Well,  you'll  have  to  put  up  with  us,"  cried 
Chet,  angrily.  "  Now,  open  the  gate,  or  we'll 
smash  it  down!  " 

"  Don't  be  rash,  Chet!  "  whispered  Paul. 

"  You  monkey!  "  roared  Captain  Grady.  «« Fall 
back,  before  I  let  you  have  a  dose  of  buck 
shot!  " 

"  There  will  be  no  shooting  here,  Captain,  on- 
less  ye  want  ter  get  wiped  out,"  broke  in  Jack 
Blowfen.  "Open  the  gate  fer  yer  neighbors  and 
let  us  hev  a  powwow." 

"  I've  told  you  wot  I'll  do  —  open  up  when  the 
boys  go  away." 

"  Come  on,  Chet,"  whispered  Paul  to  his 
younger  brother. 

"Yes,  but  Paul " 

"  Come  on,  I  say,"  and  Paul  whispered  some 
thing  into  Chet's  &#  . 


AN   IMPORTANT   CAPTURE  187 

At  once,  with  a  wink  at  Jack  Blowfen,  the  two 
boys  started  off  on  a  gallop  toward  the  river. 

"Do  you  think  we  can  do  it  ?"  asked  Chet, 
anxiously. 

"I  think  so.     We  can  try,   anyway." 

Dismounting,  the  brothers  made  their  way  to 
where  a  deep  ditch  drained  from  the  ranch  home 
under  the  stockade  into  the  river.  The  ditch  was 
almost  dry  and  was  all  but  choked  up  with  weeds 
and  brush. 

"  Now,  Chet,  it  is  a  serious  undertaking,  but 
you  know  we  must  take  some  chances,"  went 
on  Paul,  as  they  let  themselves  down  into  the 
ditch.  "  The  captain  may  really  shoot  at  us, 
although  I  think  he  will  hardly  dare  do  it  with 
Blowfen  and  Mr.  Dottery  at  hand  to  see  that 
justice  is  done." 

"If  he  shoots,  we'll  shoot  back,"  replied  Chet. 
"He  has  no  right  on  our  land,  and,  besides,  we 
must  do  something  for  Uncle  Barnaby's  sake." 

Full  of  determination,  and  realizing  that  a  crisis 
was  at  hand,  the  two  boys  wormed  their  way 
along  the  ditch  until  the  stockade  was  reached. 

Here  a  few  wooden  bars  blocked  the  way.  But 
one  of  the  bars  was  loose  and  was  wrenched  aside , 
and  they  went  on. 


1 88  THREE   YOUNG   RANCHMEN 

"We  must  be  careful,  in  case  any  one  is  in 
the  house,"  said  Paul  in  a  whisper. 

The  ditch  led  around  to  the  rear  of  the  ranch 
home.  But  here  it  went  underground  and  they 
were  compelled  to  leave  it  and  take  to  the  grass. 

They  gave  a  brief  look  and  saw  Captain  Grady 
down  by  the  opening  in  the  stockade,  still  arguing 
with  Dottery  and  Blowfen.  He  looked  anxious. 

"He  don't  see  us,"  whispered  Chet.  "Come, 
the  front  door  is  open!"  and  he  made  a  quick 
dash  for  the  house,  followed  closely  by  Paul. 

The  door  was  closing  on  the  pair  when  Captain 
Grady  started  around  and  beheld  Paul's  form  from 
the  rear.  He  gave  a  quick  cry  of  alarm. 

"  Stop!     Come  out!  " 

"Too  late,  Captain  Grady!  "  called  back  Paul, 
facing  about  and  aiming  at  the  man  with  his  gun. 
"  Now,  just  you  go  and  open  the  stockade  gate!  " 

"Thar  ain't  no  need  o'  thet  !  "  cried  the  voice 
of  Jack  Blowfen.  "Well  done,  boys;  I  give 
ye  credit." 

And  over  the  stockade  vaulted  the  cowboy,  leap 
ing  from  his  saddle  to  the  grass  on  the  other  side. 

Captain  Grady  knew  not  which  way  to  turn, 
and  before  he  could  decide  the  gate  was  un 
barred  and  Caleb  Dottery  rode  in. 


AN   IMPORTANT   CAPTURE  189 

In  the  meantime  Chet  had  taken  a  hasty 
glance  through  the  house  and  satisfied  himself 
that  Captain  Grady  was  really  alone.  There 
was  evidence  that  several  visitors  had  been  there 
but  recently  —  a  number  of  unwashed  dishes 
and  drinking  glasses. 

Chet  returned  to  the  doorway  and  beheld  Cap 
tain  Grady  in  Jack  Blowfen's  strong  grasp. 
The  firearm  had  been  wrenched  from  the  captain 
and  hurled  a  dozen  feet  away. 

"This  —  this  is  an  outrage!"  puffed  the  cap 
tain  in  a  great  rage. 

"So  is  the  way  ye  set  up  to  treat  neigh 
bors,"  replied  the  cow  puncher,  coolly.  "Why 
didn't  ye  leave  us  in  like  gentlemen  an'  thus 
avoid  all  trouble?  " 

The  captain   glared   at   him. 

"What  does  this  mean?"  he  demanded  sul 
lenly  after  a  pause. 

"Can  you  hold  him,  Blowfen?"  asked  Paul, 
anxiously. 

"I  reckon,  Paul;  but  maybe  ye  might  better 
keep  him  covered  with  yer  gun." 

"This  means  that  we  have  come  to  take  pos 
session  of  our  own,"  put  in  Chet.  "We  told 
you  that  we  would  be  back." 


1 90  THREE   YOUNG   RANCHMEN 

"It's  ag'inst'the  law,  and  I'll  have  the  sheriff 
on  you  !  "  shouted  Captain  Grady  wrathfully. 

"We'll  chance  that,"  said  Paul.  "March  into 
the  house,  please.  We  want  to  question  you  a 
bit  on  another  matter,"  he  continued. 

Captain  Grady  started.  "What  matter?"  he 
asked  in  a  lower  tone  of  voice. 

"About   our  uncle,    Barnaby    Winthrop." 

"Don't  know  nothing  of  him,"  was  the  reply, 
and  as  he  spoke  Captain  Grady's  hand  moved 
up  to  his  inside  breast  pocket. 

Instantly  Jack  Blowfen  leaped  upon  the  rascal 
and  bore  him  to  the  earth. 


CHAPTER   XXIII. 
NEWS  OF  IMPORTANCE 

D'ON'T  be   alarmed;  he  is  not  going  to  shoot," 
cried  Paul. 

"Don't  ye  make  too  shure  o'  thet,"  ejaculated 
the  cowboy.  "  Wot's  he  puttin'  his  hand  into 
his  pocket  fer?  " 

"He  has  something  there  I  fancy  he  wishes  to 
conceal,"  went  on  Paul.  -Empty  the  pocket, 
please." 

"Let  me  go!  This  is  highway  robbery!" 
stormed  Captain  Grady. 

He  struggled  fiercely  to  regain  his  feet.  But 
Blowfen  was  the  stronger  of  the  pair  and  he 
easily  held  the  rascal  down  with  one  hand,  while 
with  the  other  he  brought  several  letters  from  his 
inside  pocket. 

Paul  eagerly  snatched  the  letters,  in  spite  of 
the  captain's  protest.  He  glanced  at  them,  with 
Chet  looking  over  his  shoulder. 

'Well,   what  do  you   make   out?"  asked  Caleb 

(191) 


192        THREE  YOUNG  RANCHMEN 

Dottery.  He  didn't  quite  like  the  way  matters 
were  turning. 

"  I  think  we  will  be  safe  in  making  Captain 
Grady  a  prisoner,"  replied  Paul  slowly. 

"Yes,  make  him  a  prisoner  by  all  means,"  put 
in  Chet.  "  He  is  a  villain  if  ever  there  was  one. 
If  we  can't  prove  it  I  think  my  Uncle  Barnaby 
can." 

At  the  reference  to  Barnaby  Winthrop  Captain 
Grady  grew  pale.  It  was  evident  that  his  sins 
were  at  last  finding  him  out. 

It  did  not  take  Jack  Blowfen  long  to  act'upon 
Paul's  suggestion.  He  disarmed  the  captain  and 
made  him  march  into  the  house,  where  he  bound 
the  fellow  in  very  much  the  same  manner  as  Dot 
tery  had  bound  Jeff  Jones. 

While  he  was  doing  so  Paul  showed  the  let 
ters  taken  from  the  prisoner  to  Caleb  Dottery, 
Chet,  while  a  second  reading  was  going  on,  com 
menced  to  ransack  the  house. 

The  captain  had  moved  but  a  few  things  into 
the  ranch  home  —  a  couple  of  chairs,  a  table,  a 
bed,  and  an  old  hair  trunk.  The  trunk  Chet 
opened  without  ceremony. 

More  letters  were  found  there  —  documents 
which  told  only  too  plainly  what  manner  of  man 


NEWS  OP   IMPORTANCE  193 

the  captain  was.  Chet  smiled  to  himself  to  think 
how  foolish  the  rascal  had  been  not  to  have  de 
stroyed  the  epistles. 

"  But  the  greatest  of  villains  occasionally  over 
reach  themselves,"  he  said  to  Paul.  "  I  fancy 
this  is  proof  enough  to  show  what  an  awfully  bad 
man  Captain  Grady  is." 

"You  are  right,  Chet,"  said  Dottery,  after  a 
careful  examination.  "  He  is  a  hoss  thief  as 
great  as  was  old  Sol  Davids,  and  he  is  trying 
to  rob  yer  uncle  out  of  a  mine  claim  as  well." 

"  Not  only  that,  but  as  Jeff  Jones  said,  he  is 
with  the  crowd  who  holds  my  uncle  a  prisoner,  sir. 
That,  to  me  is  the  worst  part  of  it." 

"I  don't  know  but  what  ye  are  right." 

The  captain  was  raising  such  a  row  that  to  quiet 
him  Jack  Blowfen  threw  him  bodily  into  a  dark 
closet  and  turned  the  key  on  him. 

"  Now  if  ye  don't  quit  yer  noise,  I'll  gag  ye 
in  the  bargain,"  said  the  cowboy,  and  thereupon 
the  captain  became  quiet  at  once. 

It  was  now  quite  in  line  to  hold  a  council  of 
war,  as  Paul  termed  it.  But  before  this  was 
done  all  hands  went  to  work  to  move  the  Win- 
throp  household  effects  back  to  where  they  be 
longed. 
13 


194        THREE  YOUNG  RANCHMEN 

This  was  accomplished  in  a  short  space  of  time, 
and  was  productive  of  an  accident  which,  while 
not  excessively  serious,  was  still  of  sufficient 
importance  to  cause  a  decided  change  in  their 
plans. 

In  moving  in  an  old,  heavy  bedstead  Caleb 
Dottery  allowed  the  end  he  held  to  slip  from  his 
grasp.  A  sharp  corner  came  down  on  his  ankle, 
twisting  it  severely.  He  cried  with  pain  and  work 
was  at  once  suspended. 

The  ankle  was  bandaged,  but  it  was  found  the 
old  ranch  owner  could  not  walk,  nor  could  he 
move  about  with  any  degree  of  comfort.  He  was 
placed  on  a  couch  and  there  he  remained. 

The  four  talked  matters  over  for  a  long  while. 
In  one  of  Captain  Grady's  letters  was  mentioned 
a  certain  cave  in  the  vicinity  of  what  was  then 
known  as  the  Albany  Claim.  The  boys  fancied 
that  their  uncle  might  be  a  prisoner  in  that  cave. 

"Well,  I  dunno  but  what  ye  are  right,"  mused 
Jack  Blowfen.  "  It's  sartinly  wuth  going  to 
see." 

"Then  you  advise  us  to  go?"  asked  Paul, 
eagerly. 

"  Yes,  and  I'll  go  with  ye." 

"  But  Mr.  Dottery,"  began  Chet. 


NEWS  OF  IMPORTANCE  195 

"I'll  stay  whar  I  am  an'  watch  the  captain/' 
groaned  the  old  ranch  owner.  "  It's  about  all 
I'm  good  for  jes'  now." 

"The  old  Albany  Claim  is  a  good  stiff  forty 
miles  an'  more  from  hyer,"  said  Jack  Blowfen. 
"But  I  know  the  road  over  the  second  foothills 
perfectly.  So  if  ye  say  the  word  any  time  we'll 
start." 

"  It  looks  like  rain  just  now,"  said  Paul. 

"  An'  ye'll  catch  it  heavy,  too,"  put  in   Dottery. 

"  We'll  have  to  look  after  the  cattle,  too,"  added 
Chet.  "  Like  as  not  half  of  them  are  in  the  sink 
hole." 

"  I'll  help  ye  with  the  stock,"  said  Blowfen. 

That  evening  it  rained  in  torrents,  but  only 
for  a  short  while.  By  midnight  it  was  as  clear 
as  it  could  be.  Long  before  sunrise  the  boys 
and  Blowfen  were  out  on  the  range  looking  up  the 
heads  belonging  to  the  Winthrops. 

They  were  gratified  to  find  that  all  the  stock 
was  safe  with  a  single  exception.  That  was  an 
old  cow  who  had  been  caught  in  the  cyclone 
and  killed.  Not  one  of  the  four-footed  be^ta 
had  gone  anywhere  near  the  sink  hole. 

When  let  out  of  the  closet  Captain  Grady  begged 
hard  for  his  liberty.  But  the  boys  were  obdurate 


196        THREE  YOUNG  RANCHMEN 

and  Caleb  Dottery  backed  them  up,  as  did  Jack 
Blowfen. 

"Ye  have  done  wrong  an'  must  suffer,"  said 
the  latter,  and  there  the  matter  rested. 

By  nine  o'clock  the  two  boys  and  Blowfen  were 
off.  They  took  with  them  enough  provisions 
to  last  several  days,  as  the  journey  upon  which 
they  were  about  to  enter  would  be  for  the  greater 
part  through  a  dry  and  unproductive  section. 
This  same  section  has  now  been  made,  by  a  system 
of  irrigation,  very  productive. 

"  And  now  to  find  Uncle  Barnaby  and  bring  our 
enemies  to  terms '."cried  Paul,  as  they  rode  out 
of  the  stockade. 

"  So  say  I,  and  may  uncle  be  found  well,"  added 
Chet. 

"Amen,"  murmured  Jack  Blowfen. 


CHAPTER   XXIV. 
SOMETHING  ABOUT  BARNABY  WINTHROP 

k'/\/HY  UNCLE  a  Prisoner  about    ten    miles    from 
iVl     here?  "   repeated    Allen    Winthrop,    after 
Lou  Slavin  had  made  his  confession. 

"Will  you  shut  up?"  howled  Bluckburn,  sav 
agely.  "  You'll  spoil  everything." 

"An'  he'll  save  hisself  from  bein'  lynched," 
added  old  Ike  Watson,  suggestively. 

"We  haven't  done  anything  —  you  can't 
hold  us,"  spluttered  Bluckburn.  He  found  him 
self  in  a  bad  corner. 

"  Holding  a  man  a  prisoner  is  nothing,  I  pre 
sume,"  said  Allen,  in  deep  anger.  "Go  on,"  he 
continued  to  Slavin.  "Where  is  my  uncle?" 

Thus  urged,  Lou  Slavin  blurted  out  a  full 
confession,  telling  how  Barnaby  Winthrop  had 
been  followed  to  San  Francisco  by  Bluckburn, 
who  wanted  to  learn  the  secret  of  the  new 
claim,  which  Bluckburn  realized  must  be  valu 
able. 

(197) 


198        THREE  YOUNG  RANCHMEN 

Slavin  said  it  was  Bluckburn  who  had  sent  to 
Barnaby  Winthrop  a  forged  letter  calling  the  old 
prospector  back  to  the  ranch.  The  rascal  had 
also  forged  the  note  received  by  Noel  Urner. 

Word  had  been  sent  by  telegraph  to  the  other 
members  of  the  thieving  band,  and  when  Bar 
naby  Winthrop  got  off  at  the  nearest  railroad 
station  to  the  ranch  he  was  followed  and  way 
laid. 

"  The  crowd  had  a  mighty  hard  time  o'  it  with 
him,  he  fit  so,"  went  on  Slavin.  "Onct  he 
nearly  got  away,  but  Captain  Grady  tripped  him 
up  an'  then  he  war  bound  tight." 

"  Captain  Grady!  "  ejaculated  Allen. 

"  Thet's  his  size,"  cried  old  Watson.  "  I  allers 
allowed  as  how  he  war  one  o'  the  shady  class." 

"  He  —  he  led  the  whole  business,"  put  in  Bluck 
burn.  He  began  to  think  it  time  to  clear  himself. 
"I  only  acted  under  his  orders." 

44  It's  too  late  fer  ye  ter  open  yer  mouth," 
was  the  way  Ike  Watson  cut  him  short.  "  Goon, 
Slavin.  Whar's  Barnaby  Winthrop?  Straight, 
now,  remember." 

Thus  admonished,  Slavin  told  the  location  of 
the  cave  in  which  the  old  prospector  was  held, 
as  well  as  he  was  able. 


SOMETHING  ABOUT   BARNABY   WINTHROP    199 

"I  don't  know  the  lay  o'  the  land  exactly,  but 
I'm  comin'  purty  nigh  it." 

"Would  you  know  the  spot  if  you  were  in  the 
vicinity?  "  asked  Allen,  eagerly. 

"  I  think  I  would." 

"Then  we  must  take  him  along,"  said  the 
young  ranchman  to  Ike  Watson.  "But  what 
shall  we  do  with  Bluckburn?" 

"He  ought  ter  be  lynched  right  now,"  was 
the  old  hunter's  stern  reply.  During  his  days 
among  the  rough  characters  of  the  mountains  he 
and  his  companions  had  had  small  use  for  jails 
and  lockups.  The  law  of  the  land,  so  called, 
was  administered  on  the  spot. 

A  long  discussion  followed,  which  ended  in  a 
determination  to  take  Bluckburn  back  to  Daddy 
Wampole's  place.  They  would  leave  him  there 
a  prisoner,  and  then  take  Slavin  along  with  them, 
that  he  might  locate  Barnaby  Winthrop's  place 
of  confinement. 

Bluckburn  was  secured  on  his  horse's  back,  and 
Slavin  was  disarmed,  and  in  less  than  half  an 
hour  the  return  to  the  crossroads  hotel  was  be 
gun. 

It  was  a  long  and  tedious  ride  to  Allen  who 
was  impatient  to  be  off  to  find  his  uncle.  But 


200        THREE  YOUNG  RANCHMEN 

it  could  not  be  helped,  and  Allen  bore  it  as 
patiently  as  he  was  able. 

Daddy  Wampole  was  as  much  surprised  as  he 
well  could  be  to  see  them  ride  up  with  their  pris 
oner.  He  listened  with  deep  interest  to  the  tale 
Allen,  Watson,  and  Noel  Urner  had  to  tell. 

44  Yes,  I'll  keep  him  a  prisoner,"  he  said  at  the 
conclusion.  "An'  take  my  word  on  it,  he  shan't 
escape." 

"  And  it  won't  be  long  before  we  have  Cap 
tain  Grady,  too,"  said  Allen,  never  dreaming  of 
what  was  taking  place  at  home  in  the  meanwhile. 

Bluckburn  was  exceedingly  downcast  over  his 
turn  of  fortune.  He  insisted  that  Captain  Grady 
was  totally  to  blame,  but  this  statement  no  one 
felt  inclined  to  believe. 

Slavin  showed  himself  more  than  willing  now 
to  do  all  in  his  power  to  redeem  himself  and  his 
reputation.  Yet  neither  Ike  Watson  nor  Allen 
could  trust  him  with  so  much  as  a  pistol. 

"You  jes'  ride  on  ahead,  an'  if  thar's  any 
trouble  we'll  look  out  fer  ye,"  was  the  way  Wat 
son  put  it,  and  with  this  Slavin  had  to  be  content. 

A  long  and  exceedingly  rough  journey  now  lay 
before  the  three,  a  journey  destined  to  try  their 
patience  to  the  utmost. 


SOMETHING  ABOUT  BARNABY  WINTHROP    201 

"But  we  will  have  to  make  the  best  of  it," 
said  Allen.  "  And  I  don't  care  what  we  have  to 
put  up  with  so  long  as  we  find  my  uncle  safe 
and  sound." 

"Thet's  the  talk,"  answered  Watson.  "Can't 
expect  ter  have  every  comfort  out  in  these  yere 
parts  nohow." 

The  sun  had  been  shining  brightly,  but  presently 
the  sky  became  overcast. 

"  Unless  I  am  mistaken  we  are  close  to  a  storm," 
observed  Noel,  as  he  surveyed  the  heavens  anx 
iously. 

"Thet's  wot,"  came  from  Watson.  "An'  I 
allow  as  how  it  will  be  a  putty  heavy  one  when 
it  comes." 

"We've  had  storms  enough  lately,"  said  Allen. 
"I  want  no  more  of  them." 

They  continued  on  their  way  as  rapidly  as  the 
nature  of  the  ground  to  be  covered  permitted. 
Occasionally  Slavin  grumbled  at  being  pushed  on  so 
fast  but  Watson  soon  put  a  stop  to  his  mutterings. 

"No  ust  ter  grumble,  Slavin,"  he  said.  "Ye 
kin  be  thankful  thet  ye  wasn't  shot  down  like 
a  dog." 

"But  I'm  not  feelin'  well,"  pleaded  the  evil 
doer. 


202         THREE  YOUNG  RANCHMEN 

"Ain't  ye?  Wall,  what  ye  want  is  exercise," 
was  Watson's  sarcastic  rejoinder.  "So  trot  along, 
an'  no  more  parley  about  it1,"  and  Slavin  went 
along,  but  with  a  face  that  looked  far  from 
pleasant. 

Half  an  hour  later  the  raindrops  began  to  fall, 
at  first  scatteringly  and  then  in  a  steady  down 
pour.  It  was  a  cold  rain  and  made  one  and  another 
of  the  little  party  shiver. 

"  I  must  say  I  don't  like  this,"  said  Allen,  when 
he  was  more  than  half  soaked  through.  "I  won 
der  if  we  can't  find  shelter  until  the  worst  of  this  is 
over  ?  " 

"Perhaps  we  can,"  said  Noel.  "Although 
I  don't  see  many  large  trees  handy." 

"Might  be  as  how's  thar's  a  cave  around," 
said  Watson.  "Anyway,  we'll  keep  our  eyes 
peeled  fer  one." 

This  they  did  and  a  quarter  of  a  mile  further 
on  came  to  something  of  a  cliff  overlooking  a  rocky 
valley.  At  the  base  of  the  cliff  were  a  number 
of  rough  openings  and  one  of  these  openings  led  to 
a  cave  of  no  mean  size. 

"  Jes'  the  ticket!"  cried  WTatson,  as  he  dis- 
mounted  and  entered  the  opening.  "  We  can  stay 
here  all  night  an'  by  thet  time  the  storm  will 


SOMETHING  ABOUT   BARNABY   WINTHROP    203 

be  a  thing  o'   the  past.      We   ain't   none   too   soon 
either,"  he  added. 

Watson  was  right,  for  scarcely  had  all  of  the 
party  entered  the  cavern  than  the  storm  let  down 
in  all  of  its  fury.  The  landscape  was  blotted 
out  and  all  became  darker  than  ever. 

"Ye  set  down  on  thet  rock,"  commanded 
Watson  to  Slavin.  "An'  don't  ye  dare  ter  stir 
if  ye  know  when  yer  well  off." 

"  I  ain't  stirrin',"  growled  the  prisoner. 

Nevertheless,  although  he  spoke  thus,  Slavin  had 
his  eyes  wide  open.  He  intended  to  escape  if 
it  were  possible  to  do  so,  fearing  that  all  would  not 
go  well  with  him  even  though  he  had  confessed  to 
his  captors. 


CHAPTER    XXV. 
FIGHTING  A  WOLVERINE 

"T    THINK  we  had   better  make  afire,"  suggested 

1  Allen,  after  the  horses  had  been  tied  up  in 
a  place  that  was  comparatively  dry. 

"  Right  ye  air,  Allen,"  returned  Watson. 
"  Pervidin'  we  can  find  some  firewood." 

"  Here  is  a  tree  branch,"  said  Noel,  pointing  it 
out  in  a  dark  corner  of  the  cavern.  "But  we 
may  have  some  trouble  in  breaking  it  up." 

"Ho!  ho!"  laughed  Watson.  "It's  easy  ter 
see  ye  ain't  very  strong.  We'll  break  thet  up  in  a 
jiffy;  eh,  Slavin?  " 

"  What  do  ye  want?  "  growled  the  prisoner. 

"  Want  ye  ter  help  break  up  some  firewood." 

"Me?" 

"  Persackly,  Slavin.  Reckon  as  how  ye  want 
ter  git  as  warm  as  anybody.  Wall,  ye  kin  start 
in  by  doin'  some  work." 

Slavin  demurred  but  his  protest  was  unavailing 

and   soon   he  and    Watson    were    breaking    up  the 
(204) 


FIGHTING   A   WOLVERINE  205 

large  part  of  the  tree  branch,  Noel  looking  on 
in  wonder  and  Allen  assisting  on  the  smaller  por 
tions. 

"My,  but  you  are  strong,"  said  Noel,  in  open 
admiration.  "I'd  give  a  good  deal  for  your 
muscles." 

"  Ye'll  get  the  same,  if  ye  stay  out  hyer  long 
enough,"  answered  Watson.  "  It's  the  mountain 
air  as  does  it." 

"Oh,  come,  Watson,  you  know  you  are  extra 
strong,"  put  in  Allen.  "  Why,  he  can  do  some 
wonderful  things  when  he  wants  to."  To  this 
Watson  made  no  reply,  but  the  grin  on  his  face 
showed  that  he  appreciated  the  compliment. 

Soon  they  had  a  roaring  fire,  which  threw 
grotesque  shadows  on  the  cavern  walls.  All  drew 
closer  to  enjoy  the  warmth,  and  they  prepared  a 
meal  to  which  even  Slavin  did  full  justice. 

They  questioned  the  prisoner  closely  and  he 
said  he  felt  certain  he  was  on  the  right  trail. 
But  he  was  shy  about  saying  more.  He  was 
wondering  if  the  coming  night  would  offer  any 
opportunity  of  escaping. 

"  I'll  get  away  if  I  can,"  he  thought.  "  And  if 
so  I  must  lose  no  time  in  warning  Mangle  and 
Nodley.  If  I  don't  they'll  be  running  into  a 


206        THREE  YOUNG  RANCHMEN 

trap,  and  my  share  of  that  stolen  money  will  be 
lost." 

After  the  meal  Allen  and  Watson  remained 
near  the  entrance  to  the  cave,  to  talk  over  the 
situation  and  speculate  upon  what  the  day  follow 
ing  would  bring  forth. 

Slavin  wanted  to  join  them,  but  Allen  ordered 
him  back. 

1  'You  go  back  to  the  fire,"  he  said.  "If  you 
want  to  go  to  sleep  you  may  do  so." 

"Don't  trust  me  even  yet,  do  ye?"  muttered 
the  prisoner. 

"I  do  not." 

"  Ye're  rather  hard  on  a  chap  wot  is  trying  ter 
do  ye  a  good  turn." 

"It  remains  to  be  seen  if  it  is  a  good  turn  or 
not,  Slavin.  You  may  be  putting  up  a  job  on  us." 

"No,  I  swear  it's  all  right,  Winthrop.  Ye'll 
find  everything  jest  as  I  told  ye." 

"Perhaps.  But  you  go  back  to  the  fire,"  and 
Slavin  went  back,  but  with  a  look  on  his  face 
that  rivaled  the  black  clouds  in  the  heavens  out 
side. 

Soon  the  prisoner  was  curled  up  close  to  the  fire 
and  he  closed  his  eyes  as  if  in  slumber,  but  he 
kept  as  wide  awake  as  before. 


FIGHTING  A  WOLVERINE  207 

While  Allen  and  Watson  were  talking  at  the 
entrance  to  the  cavern,  Noel,  out  of  idle  curiosity, 
procured  a  torch  from  the  camp  fire  and  went  on 
a  tour  of  observation. 

The  cavern  proved  to  be  a  narrow  and  rambling 
affair,  being  nothing  more  or  less  than  a  split  in 
the  mountain  side.  The  floor  was  uneven  and 
back  from  the  entrance  arose  in  a  series  of  rough 
steps. 

Up  these  steps  climbed  the  young  man  until  he 
had  gained  a  position  fully  fifty  feet  above  the 
mouth  of  the  cavern. 

At  a  great  distance  he  heard  the  falling  of 
water,  as  the  rain  swept  over  some  rocks  at  a  rear 
entrance  to  the  cavern. 

Curious  to  see  where  the  cavern  led  to  he  con 
tinued  his  climbing  until  the  light  of  the  camp  fire 
was  left  far  behind. 

His  torch  was  burning  low  but  he  whirled  it 
into  a  blaze  and  went  on  once  more. 

Occasionally  he  slipped,  for  the  rocks  were  now 
wet,  but  this  did  not  daunt  him. 

At  last  he  reached  a  spot  where  the  water  was 
flowing  in  a  miniature  waterfall.  There  was  an 
opening  over  his  head  but  it  was  out  of  reach. 

4 'This  must  be  a   pretty  place  in  the  daylight," 


208        THREE  YOUNG  RANCHMEN 

he  mused.  "What  grand  scenery  on  every  hand 
throughout  this  State  !  " 

Of  a  sudden  more  than  the  usual  amount  of 
water  came  down  and  some  of  it  hit  the  torch, 
extinguishing  it  instantly. 

"  Confound  the  luck,"  he  murmured,  and  felt 
in  his  pocket  for  a  match. 

While  he  was  searching  for  the  article,  he 
heard  a  strange  noise  overhead,  close  to.  the  water 
fall. 

He  listened  and  the  noise  was  followed  by  the 
unmistakable  growl  of  a  wild  beast. 

A  wolverine  had  strayed  close  to  the  waterfall 
and  had  slipped  on  the  rocks  to  a  shelf  below. 

For  a  few  seconds  the  ferocious  beast  clung  to 
the  ledge,  then  slipped  again  and  landed  at  Noel's 
feet! 

The  wolverine  is  one  of  the  most  ferocious 
beasts  to  be  met  with  anywhere.  It  is  not  un 
like  the  bear  in  general  make-up,  but  has  a  more 
pointed  head  and  a  bushy  tail.  It  is  said  that, 
generally  speaking,  a  wolverine  will  not  eat  any 
thing  else  if  it  can  get  meat. 

As  soon  as  the  wolverine  smelled  the  presence 
of  a  human  being  he  let  out  a  growl  that  seemed 
to  strike  to  Noel's  very  backbone. 


FIGHTING  A   WOLVERINE  209 

Letting  the  match  he  had  pulled  from  his 
pocket  drop,  the  young  man  felt  for  his  pistol 
and  brought  forth  the  weapon  with  all  possible 
speed. 

Bang!  The  weapon  was  discharged  and  the 
bullet  clipped  the  wolverine  on  the  left  side  of 
the  head.  Then  with  a  snarl  that  was  almost  a 
scream,  the  ferocious  animal  hurled  itself  upon 
Noel. 
;  "Help!  help!"  cried  the  young  man. 

He  felt  that  he  was  in  an  exceedingly  peril 
ous  position  and  that  assistance  was  absolutely 
necessary.  In  the  darkness  he  thought  he  had 
been  attacked  by  a  mountain  bear. 

The  wolverine  managed  to  reach  his  shoulder, 
but  Noel  made  a  quick  twist  and  freed  himself. 
Then  the  young  man  fired  a  second  shot. 

The  wolverine  was  now  hit  in  the  side,  but 
the  wound  was  far  from  fatal  or  even  serious, 
and  it  only  made  the  creature  scream  louder. 
With  blazing  eyes  and  gleaming  teeth,  it  crouched 
low  and  prepared  to  spring  for  Noel's  throat. 

The    young    man    knew    that    almost    all    wild 

beasts   are   fearful  of  fire  but    he    did    not    know 

how  the  beast  before  him  regarded  water.     Yet  as 

he  fired  a  third  shot  he  stepped  close    up    to   the 

14 


210        THREE  YOUNG  RANCHMEN 

rocks,    so    that    the     water    from    the    fall    might 
pour  over    his  person. 

The  third  report  echoed  throughout  the  cavern 
as  loudly  as  had  the  others,  while  the  bullet 
flew  a  foot  over  the  wolverine's  head.  Then 
the  savage  beast  made  a  second  leap  at  Noel 
and  caught  the  young  man  by  the  arm.  The 
weight  of  the  animal  made  Noel  lose  his  balance, 
and  man  and  wolverine  rolled  over  on  the  cav 
ern  floor  together. 


CHAPTER   XXVI. 
DISAPPEARANCE  OF  SLAVIN 

WHAT'S  that?  " 
The  exclamation  came  from  Allen  as  he 
broke  off  short  in  his  conversation  with  Watson. 

The  cry  from  Noel  had  reached  his  ears  and 
the  cry  was  quickly  followed  by  the  first  of  the 
pistol  shots. 

"He's  in  trouble,  thet's  wot  !  "  cried  the  old 
hunter.  "Hark,  thar's  another  shot!  " 

He  bounded  back  to  the  camp  fire,  but  quick 
as  was  his  movement,  Allen  was  ahead  of  him. 
Both  felt  that  Noel's  peril  must  be  extreme. 

"  Get  a  torch!  "  cried  Watson,  and  caught  up  a 
burning  brand. 

"What  of  Slavin?"  questioned  Allen,  but 
then,  as  the  second  shot  rang  out,  he  waited  no 
longer,  but  with  a  torch  in  one  hand  and  his  gun 
in  the  other,  he  darted  up  the  rocky  steps  as  fast 
as  he  could.  Watson  was  beside  him,  with 
pistol  drawn,  his  gun  resting  on  the  side  of  the 

cave  below. 

(tn) 


212         THREE  YOUNG  RANCHMEN 

It  took  but  a  few  seconds  to  gain  the  vicinity 
of  the  little  waterfall  but  before  they  came  up 
they  heard  the  third  shot  and  another  yell  from 
Noel. 

"My  gracious!  "  burst  from  Allen's  throat,  as 
he  beheld  the  awful  scene. 

Noel  was  lying  partly  on  his  back,  with  one 
foot  pressed  against  the  wolverine's  stomach. 
The  wild  beast  still  held  the  young  man  by  the 
arm. 

Allen  realized  that  whatever  good  was  to  be 
done  must  be  done  instantly,  and  without  stop 
ping  to  think  twice  he  blazed  away  at  the  wolverine, 
twice  in  quick  succession.  Watson  likewise  fired, 
and  the  creature  was  struck  each  time.  With  a 
yelp  that  was  almost  human  the  wolverine 
turned,  let  go  his  hold  on  Noel,  and  leaped  for 
Allen. 

"Take  care!"  yelled  Watson,  and  then  fired 
another  shot,  just  as  the  wolverine,  unable  to 
reach  Allen's  throat,  made  a  clutch  at  his  left  leg. 
The  shot  from  the  old  hunter  took  the  beast  di 
rectly  in  the  right  eye,  piercing  his  brain,  and  he 
fell  over  like  a  lump  of  lead,  to  move  no  more. 

'*  A  close  shave  fer  ye,"  remarked  Watson, 
\vhen  he  saw  that  Allen  was  uninjured.  "  A  big 


DISAPPEARANCE   OP   SLAVIN  213 

one,  too,"  he  went  on,  shoving  the  wolverine 
with  his  foot.  "  How  are  ye,  Urner  ?  " 

"I  —  I  guess  I  am  not  much  hurt!"  gasped 
Noel,  when  he  felt  able  to  speak.  "  The  beast 
bit  me  in  the  arm  though." 

"  It's  lucky  he  wasn't  after  gittin'  at  yer  throat. 
I  knowed  a  man  onct  as  got  a  nip  in  the 
throat  from  a  wolverine  that  made  him  pass  in 
his  checks  then  an'  thar." 

"It  was  a  terrible  encounter!  I  thought  I  was 
a  goner  sure." 

"Didn't  you  have  a  torch?  "  questioned   Allen. 

"I  did,  but  the  water  struck  it  and  put  it  out." 

**  The  darkness  was  what  made  the  critter  so 
bold,"  remarked  Watson.  "They're  afeered  o' 
fire,  jes'  like  most  o'  wild  beasts." 

"Oh,  my,  we  forgot  Slavin!"  burst  suddenly 
from  Allen's  lips.  "I'll  wager  a  horse  he  has 
dusted  out!  " 

"  Ye're  right,"  returned  Watson,  and  began 
to  make  his  way  back  to  the  camp  fire  with  all 
speed,  and  with  Allen  close  beside  him.  Noel 
was  too  weak  to  run  and  had  to  walk.  He  was 
still  very  white  and  his  limbs  trembled  under  him 
because  of  the  unusual  excitement. 

The   camp   fire   gained,   it   needed    but   a    single 


214        THREE  YOUNG  RANCHMEN 

glance  around  to  convince  them  that  Slavin  had 
indeed  gone. 

"Took  my  shootin'  iron,  too,  consarn  him!" 
ejaculated  Ike  Watson.  "What  fools  we  wuz  ter 
leave  him  yere  alone  !  ' ' 

"We  saved  Noel's  life  by  the  operation," 
answered  Allen. 

"Thet's    so,   too,    but " 

"You  hate  to  see  him  get  away.  So  do  I, 
and  — Look!" 

"What    now?" 

"He    has   taken  one    of   the   horses,   too!" 

Allen  was  right,  the  best  of  the  horses  was 
gone. 

"He  ain't  got  much  o'  a  start,"  said  Watson. 
"So  let  us  git  arfter  him  hot-footed." 

"I  am  with  you  on  that,  Watson;  he  must 
not  get  away  under  any  circumstances.  If  he 
does " 

"We  won't  be  able  to  git  on  the  trail  o'  yer 
uncle." 

"That's  it." 

Both  were  soon  in  the  saddle,  and  shouted 
back  to  Noel  to  keep  the  fire  burning  and  wait 
for  their  return.  Then  away  they  dashed  into 
the  midnight  darkness. 


DISAPPEARANCE  OF  SLAVIN  215 

The  storm  still  continued  and  the  rain  poured 
down  with  a  steadiness  that  was  dismal  enough 
to  contemplate.  But  to  the  discomfort  Allen 
gave  scant  heed. 

"He  must  not  get  away,"  he  said,  to  himself, 
over  and  over  again.  "We  must  capture  him 
and  make  him  take  us  to  where  the  gang  have 
Uncle  Barnaby  a  prisoner." 

"Right  ye  air,   Allen." 

To  follow  a  trail  under  such  circumstances  was 
not  easy,  yet  they  found  some  tracks  in  the  soft 
dirt  directly  in  front  of  the  cliff  and  these  led  on 
the  back  trail  and  then  to  where  there  was  a  deep 
ravine  between  the  rocky  slopes  of  the  mountains. 

Half  a  mile  was  covered  and  Watson  called  a 
halt. 

"  Ye  want  ter  go  slow  yere,"  he  cautioned,  "  I 
don't  like  the  looks  o'  this  territory  nohow." 

"  What  is  wrong  with  it?  " 

"  Full  o'  holes,  fer  one  thing,  and  water 
under  the  surface.  We'll  go  slow,"  and  they 
did. 

Occasionally  it  lightened  and  by  the  flashes  of 
light  they  made  out  a  fringe  of  woods  skirting 
the  hollow.  The  wind  was  coming  up  and  this 
swept  through  the  trees  with  a  mournful  sound. 


216        THREE  YOUNG  RANCHMEN 

They  were  moving  with  care  when  they  heard  a 
sudden  yell  ahead.  It  was  Slavin  calling  to  his 
horse. 

**  Back  up!  "  they  heard  him  cry.  "  Back, 
hang  ye!  De  ye  want  ter  pitch  me  in  a  hole?" 
And  then  followed  a  savage  muttering  they  could 
not  make  out. 

"We've  got  him!  "  cried  Watson.  "  Come  — 
but  be  careful,  be  careful." 

"  I'm  going  to  dismount,"  said  Allen,  and  did  so 
and  led  his  steed  forward  along  the  trail  which 
the  rain  had  made  slippery  and  treacherous. 

Watson  likewise  got  down  and  they  now  had  to 
wait  for  another  flash  of  lightning  to  show  them 
just  where  they  were.  As  the  flash  came  Allen 
gave  a  look  ahead. 

"Well,  I  never!  "  he  ejaculated. 

4  *  Wot  did  ye  see  ? ' '  came  quickly  from  the  old 
hunter. 

"  Slavin  has  tumbled  down  and  the  horse  with 
him." 

**  Then  we've  got  the  rascal  sure  !  " 

They  plunged  forward  again.  The  trail  was 
narrower  than  ever  and  the  gully,  or  hollow,  was 
on  one  side,  and  a  fringe  of  mountain  brush  on 
the  other. 


DISAPPEARANCE    OF   SLAVIN  217 

I 

Presently  they  heard  something  which  served  to 
increase  their  surprise.  Slavin  was  groaning  as  if 
in  extreme  pain. 

"  The  fall  hurt  him,"  said  Allen,  "  Look  after 
my  horse,  will  you?  I  am  going  ahead." 

He  hurried  on  around  a  slight  turn  of  the  trail 
and  through  a  clump  of  bushes  and  trees  grow 
ing  close  to  the  edge  of  the  hollow.  As  he 
emerged  from  the  bushes  a  sight  met  his  gaze  that 
thrilled  him  to  the  backbone. 

Slavin  had  fallen  over  the  edge  of  the  trail  at  a 
point  where  lay  a  huge  half-rotted  trunk  of  a  tree. 
The  trunk  of  the  tree  had  slipped  in  the  wet, 
rolled  partly  over  the  man,  and  was  slowly  but 
surely  crushing  the  lite  out  of  him  i 


CHAPTER   XXVII. 
ALLEN  SHOWS  His  BRAVERY 


"  Hel-help  !"  gasped  the  poor  wretch. 
"Help!  For  the  love  of  Heaven,  help  me!" 

"How   did  you   get   under   the  tree  trunk?" 

"  My  horse  kicked  me  and  I  fell.  I  tried  to 
save  myself  from  going  into  the  hollow.  Please 
help  me  !  " 

"  Thet's  wot  ye  git  fer  runnin'  away,"  put 
in  Watson,  who  had  appeared  on  the  scene. 

"Don't  —  don't  talk!  Save  me!"  was  Slavin's 
only  answer. 

"We'll  do  what  we  can  for  you,"  returned 
Allen. 

Yet  even  as  he  spoke  he  realized  how  difficult, 
not  to  say  dangerous,  was  the  task  which  lay 
before  him. 

Should  he  attempt  to  roll  the  log  over  it  might 
catch  him  just  as  it  had  caught  the  suffering 

wretch  now  under  it. 
(218) 


ALLEN   SHOWS  HIS  BRAVERY  219 

"Take  care,  Allen!"  warned  Watson.  "The 
bank  here  is  mighty  slippery." 

"I  know  it,"  was  the  answer.  "  Watson,  can 
you  hold  yonder  branch?" 

"Wait  till  I  tether  the  bosses." 

This  was  done  as  quickly  as  possible  and  then 
the  old  hunter  caught  hold  of  the  branch  Allen 
had  mentioned. 

Allen  got  down  under  the  lower  end  of  the 
fallen  tree  and  caught  Slavin  by  the  arm. 

"Can't  you  turn  over?"   he  asked. 

"I  —  I  —  can't  budge!"  was  the  low  answer. 
And  then  with  a  groan  the  prisoner  became  in 
sensible. 

"He  has  fainted!"  cried  Allen,  to  Watson. 
"Pull  on  that  branch  for  all  you  are  worth." 

"I'm  a-pullin'." 

Still  the  tree  trunk  did  not  budge,  for  one  end 
was  embedded  in  the  mud  lying  on  the  edge  of 
the  bank. 

Allen  was  determined  to  save  the  poor  wretch 
who  was  slowly  but  surely  having  his  chest  crushed 
in  by  the  sinking  tree.  Finding  he  could  not 
move  the  tree  he  called  on  Watson  to  hold  fast  as 
before. 

"  Ye  can't  do  nothin',  Allen,"   protested  the  old 


220        THREE  YOUNG  RANCHMEN 

hunter.  "  Come  away  afore  the  tree  rolls  over  an' 
crushes  ye  too  !  " 

"  It  won't  roll  if  you  hold  fast,"  Allen  answered. 

44  Yes,  it  will,  when  it  starts.  I  can't  git  nothin' 
ter  brace  ag'in  here." 

4'  Well,  I'm  going  to  do  my  best  and  you  must 
hold  back  as  long  as  you  can,"  was  the  answer. 

Getting  down  on  his  knees,  Allen  began  to 
scoop  away  the  loose  dirt  with  his  hands,  work 
ing  directly  under  Slavin's  body.  It  was  hard 
work  and  broke  his  finger  nails,  but  he  kept  on 
and  at  last  had  quite  a  hole  made. 

"Now  hold  hard,  I'm  going  to  pull!"  he 
shouted  to  Watson,  and  the  old  hunter  held  as 
hard  as  he  could.  Then  Allen  pulled  with  might 
and  main  and  at  last  had  the  satisfaction  of  getting 
the  senseless  body  of  Slavin  free  from  its  awful 
pressure. 

44  Quick,  the  tree  is  a-goin'  !  "came  from  Wat 
son.  44  Give  me  yer  hand !  " 

He  reached  forth  and  at  the  same  time  the  tree 
began  to  slide  down  the  hollow,  directly  in  Al 
len's  pathway.  Allen  had  Slavin  in  his  arms  by 
this  time.  He  made  a  leap  and  got  on  top  of  the 
tree,  and  just  as  the  trunk  went  down  Watson 
caught  him  and  held  tight. 


ALLEN   SHOWS  HIS  BRAVERY  221 

"  A  close  call  an'  no  error  !  "  cried  Watson, 
when  Allen  was  safe  on  the  trail  once  more. 
"Ye  came  within  an  ace  o'  goin'  into  the  hol 
low  with  the  tree  on  top  o'  ye !  " 

"I  guess  Slavin's  pretty  badly  hurt,"  said  Al 
len,  when  he  could  get  back  his  breath.  "That 
trunk  had  him  pinned  down  for  fair.  He  would 
have  been  crushed  in  another  minute  or  two. 
What  shall  we  do  with  him?  " 

"Wait  till  I  catch  his  hoss  an'  we'll  take  him 
back  to  the  cave,"  answered  Watson. 

To  catch  the  animal  was  not  difficult  and  close 
at  hand  they  found  the  gun  Slavin  had  stolen. 
Then  while  Allen  carried  the  firearms  and  led  one 
horse  and  rode  another,  Watson  took  up  the  un 
conscious  man  in  his  arms  and  followed  on  his 
own  steed  to  the  cave. 

They  found  Noel  sitting  by  the  fire  nursing  his 
lacerated  arm.  The  wound  was  an  ugly  affair  but 
by  no  means  dangerous,  and  after  it  was  washed 
and  bandaged  it  felt  a  great  deal  better,  although 
the  arm  wras  bound  to  be  stiff  for  several  weeks  to 
come  and  sore  in  the  bargain. 

"Got  him,  I  see,"  remarked  the  young  man,  as 
he  glanced  at  Slavin.  "  What's  the  trouble,  did 
you  have  to  shoot  him?  " 


THREE   YOUNG  RANCHMEN 

"No,  he  got  under  a  fallen  tree,"  answered 
Allen. 

The  unconscious  man  was  placed  in  a  comfort 
able  position  near  the  fire,  which  was  heaped  up 
with  fresh  wood,  that  all  might  dry  themselves, 
and  Watson  went  to  work  to  restore  Slavin. 

This  was  no  mean  task  and  it  was  a  good  half 
hour  before  the  man  opened  his  eyes  to  stare  about 
him. 

"I  —  I  —  where  am  I?''  he  stammered. 
"  Yer  safe,"  answered  Watson,  laconically. 
"That  tree  — Did  I  go  over  into  the  hollow?" 
"No." 

"How  did   I   escape?" 
"Allen   Winthrop  saved  ye." 
"He    did!  " 

"Yes,    Slavin;   he's  yer  best  friend,  if  ye  only 
know  it,"  went   on   the   old   hunter    warmly. 
"But  I  —  don't  —  don't  understand." 
In  a  few   words  Watson  explained  the  situation 
to    which    Slavin     listened     with     much     interest. 
Then  his  eyes  rested  on  Allen. 

"  I'm  much  erbliged  ter  ye,"  he  said  slowly,  and 
his  manner  showed  he  meant  it. 

"  You  were  a  fool  ter  try  ter  git  away,"  went  on 
Watson. 


ALLEN   SHOWS  HIS  BRAVERY  223 

"I   know   thet  —  now,"  muttered   the  hurt  one. 

"  Don't  ye  know  I  would  have  plugged  ye  on 
sight?" 

"  Would   ye?" 

"Sartain   shur,  Slavin." 

"Wall,  I  won't  give  ye  another  chance,"  re 
sponded  Slavin,  with  a  heavy  sigh. 

"  Ye  won't  git  the  chance,  ye  mean,"  said  the 
old  hunter,  significantly. 

"  All  right,  jes'  as  ye  please,  Watson.  But  if 
thet  young  feller  saved  my  life  why  I'm " 

"What?" 

"  I'm  going  to  make  it  up  ter  him,  thet's 
all." 

**  Do  you  mean  that  you  will  lead  us  without 
any  further  trouble?"  questioned  Allen  eagerly. 

"  Thet's  wot  I  do  mean,  an'  I'll  swear  ter  it  if  ye 
want  me  ter,"  added  Slavin,  solemnly. 

"You  needn't  swear,  Slavin." 

"  But  I  mean  it,  Winthrop.  I  may  be  a  bad 
man,  but  I  ain't  so  all-fired  bad  as  ter  forgit  a  man 
when  he  does  me  a  good  turn,"  went  on  the 
sufferer,  with  increased  earnestness. 

**  Well,  I  will   take   you  at  your  word." 

"  But  I  can't  go  on  just  yet.  I've  got  a  terrible 
pain  in  my  breast,  here." 


224  THREE   YOUNG  RANCHMEN 

"  I  suppose  you  have.  We  shan't  move  to-night 
and  maybe  not  to-morrow.  It  will  depend  upon 
how  Noel  Urner  feels." 

"Oh,  I'll  go  on,"  said  Noel.  "But  I  think  a 
little  rest  here  will  do  us  all  good,"  he  added, 
thoughtfully. 

"Yes,  ye  all  need  it,"  put  in  Watson.  "  An' 
now  I  want  all  o'  ye  to  turn  in  an'  git  some  sleep. 
I'll  stay  on  guard." 

"But  not  all  night,"  insisted  Allen.  "Wake 
me  at  two  or  three  o'clock." 

And  so  it  was  arranged. 


CHAPTER   XXVIII. 
A  BUFFALO  STAMPEDE 

ALLEN  went  on  duty  at  three    o'clock    and    re 
mained  on  guard  until  six,  when  the  others 
awoke. 

The  sun  was  showing  itself  in  the  east  and 
all  that  remained  of  the  storm  were  a  few  scat 
tering  drops. 

"How   do  you  feel?"  asked   Allen  of   Noel. 

''Fairly  well,  although  the  arm  is  stiff,  Allen." 
And  the  young  man  continued:  "What  shall 
we  do  with  the  wolverine?" 

"Nothing,    unless  you    want    the    pelt." 

"  I  never  want  to  see  the  beast  again,"  said 
Noel,  with  a  shudder  for  which  Allen  could  not 
blame  him. 

"  Then  let  him  lie  for  the  other  wild  beasts 
to  feed  upon." 

When  Watson  arose  Allen  had  breakfast  ready 
and  all  ate  without  delay.  Even  Slavin  got 
around,  but  it  was  plain  to  see  that  he  was 
suffering. 

15  (235) 


226        THREE  YOUNG  RANCHMEN 

"  I  want  ter  show  ye  I  mean  ter  do  what  I 
said,"  he  told  Allen.  "  I'll  go  on  if  I  drop  in 
my  tracks." 

"We  won't  start  just  yet,  Slavin,"  answered 
Allen,  "  and  when  we  do  we'll  take  it  rather 
easy,  both  for  your  benefit  and  for  Mr.  Urner's." 

It  was  past  ten  o'clock  when  they  left  the 
cave.  Their  horses  were  much  refreshed  by  the 
rest  taken,  and  despite  Slavin 's  hurts  fair  prog 
ress  was  made  along  the  foothills. 

It  was  a  lonely  section  of  the  State  through 
which  they  were  traveling  and  Allen  could  not 
help  mentioning  this  fact  to  Ike  Watson.  But 
at  his  words  the  old  hunter  merely  laughed. 

"Lonely,"  he  snorted.  "Gosh  all  hemlock, 
Allen,  it  ain't  half  as  lonely  as  it  used  ter  be, 
not  by  a  jugful.  Why,  I  remember  the  time  ye 
could  ride  fer  days  an'  days  an'  see  nuthin' 
but  buffalo  or  some  other  wild  critters." 

"The  buffalo  are  almost  all  gone  now,  aren't 
they?" 

"Putty  much,  an'  it's  a  great  shame,  too,  fer 
they  were  fine  game.  But  them  sports  used  tet 
come  out  west  an'  kill  'em  off  by  the  score,  worse 
luck!  Didn't  want  'em  fer  nuthin'  either!" 
And  Watson  shook  his  head  sorrowfully. 


A  BUFFALO  STAMPEDE  227 

"  Were  you  ever  caught  in  a  buffalo  stampede, 
Ike?" 

44  Onct,  Allen,  onct,  an'  it's  an  experience  I'll 
never  fergit  as  long  as  I  live." 

*'  I  should  like  to  hear  the  particulars." 

"  Thet  ain't  really  much  ter  tell,  Allen.  I  wuz 
out  on  Crazy  Tom  Mountain  at  the  time.  Reckon 
ye  know  the  place." 

"  Fairly  well." 

'k  Well,  it  wuz  while  the  buffalo  had  been  over 
to  the  Fork.  Grazin'  wuzn't  very  good  thet  sea 
son  an'  the  critters  wuz  rather  ugly  in  conse 
quence." 

k' Yes,  I've  heard  they  get  bad  when  their  feed 
is  cut  short." 

"  As  I  wuz  sayin',  I  wuz  up  alongside  o'  Crazy 
Tom  Mountain,  looking  fer  b'ar,  an'  I  had  jes' 
struck  a  fine  trail  when  I  heered  a  curious  sound 
on  the  tuddef  side  o'  the  hill.  I  couldn't  make 
it  out  nohow  at  fust,  but  byme-by  I  thought  it 
must  be  buffalo,  an'  I  wuz  right." 

"  Did  they  come  right  down  on  you?  " 

"  No,  worse  luck,  they  didn't.  If  they  hed  I 
might  have  scooted  to  one  side  or  tudder.  But 
instead  o'  comin'  straight  over  the  mountain  — 
'tain's  high,  ye  remember  —  they  came  around 


228        THREE  YOUNG  RANCHMEN 

on  both  sides,  an'  afore  I  knowed  it,  I  wuz  right 
in  the  middle  o'  'em." 

"What  did  you  do?  "  asked  Allen,  as  Watson 
paused  reflectively. 

"  At  fust  I  didn't  know  what  ter  do  persackly. 
I  shot  one  of  'em,  but  bless  ye,  thet  wuzn't  nuthin', 
and  I  calkerlated  as  how  I'd  have  ter  ride  fer  it. 
Then  of  a  sudden  my  hoss  got  scared  and  shot  me 
over  his  head  into  a  big  thorn  bush  and  made  off 
like  a  streak  o'  greased  lightnin',  leaving  me 
alone." 

"With  the  buffalo  all  around  you?  " 

"  Jes'  so,  more 'n  twenty  o'  'em,  an'  more 'n 
a  hundred  others  comin'  up  fast  as  they  could 
leg  it.  I  kin  tell  ye  I  wuz  in  a  fix  an'  no  error." 

"  It  must  have  hurt  you  to  land  in  the  thorn 
bush?  " 

"Hurt?  Wall  say,  it  wuz  like  bein'  dumped 
into  a  pit  full  o'  daggers,  that  wuz!  Hain't  fer- 
got  the  awful  stickin'  pain  yit  an'  never  will!  But 
bein'  chucked  into  thet  thorn  bush  saved  my 
life." 

"  Didn't  the   buffalo  touch  the  bush?  " 

"  Nary  a  one.  They  would  come  up  close,  on 
a  dead  run,  an'  then  shy  like  a  skittish  hoss  afore 
a  bit  o'  white  paper.  Time  an'  ag'in  I  thought 


A  BUFFALO  STAMPEDE  229 

one  would  heave  hisself  atop  o'  me  an'  squash 
me,  but  the  time  didn't  come.  Say,  but  it  wuz  a 
sight,  that  wuz!  "  went  on  Watson  earnestly. 
"  Them  buffalo  was  mad,  clean  star.k  mad,  and 
trampled  all  over  each  other.  The  stampede  at 
thet  p'int  didn't  last  more  'n  three  minutes  an' 
arfter  it  wuz  over  thar  wuz  five  buffalo  dead  less 
than  four  yards  away  from  me  !  " 

"Tramped  to   death   by  the   others?" 

"Yes,  smashed  up  too.  Ye  never  saw  sech 
a  sight.  Arfter  thet  ye  can  calkerlate  I  keep 
clear  o'  all  other  stampedes,"  concluded  the  old 
hunter. 

Talking  over  one  thing  and  another  the  party 
moved  along  until  about  one  o'clock,  when  a 
halt  was  made  for  dinner. 

Allen  found  that  Noel  was  suffering  but  little 
but  his  arm  was  well  bandaged.  Slavin,  how 
ever,  was  pale. 

"You   need  a    rest,    Slavin,"    he    said,    kindly. 

"  I  reckon  ye  air  right,"  was  the  faint  re 
sponse.  "Didn't  calkerlate  ter  git  sech  an  all- 
gone  feelin'." 

"We'll  rest  until  the  worst  of  the  heat  is 
over;  eh,  Ike?" 

"  Jes'    as    ye    say,"    answered    the    old   hunter. 


2  30  THREE  YOUNG  RANCHMEN 

They  found  an  inviting  spot  in  a  small  grove 
of  trees  close  to  a  spring  and  a  brook,  and 
proceeded  to  make  themselves  comfortable.  Slavin 
was  glad  enough  to  drop  into  a  light  doze. 

"He's  a  changed  man,  unless  I  miss  my 
guess,"  said  Allen  to  Noel. 

"I  think  you  are  right,  Allen.  That  adven 
ture  took  him  so  close  to  death  I  fancy  it 
rather  awakened  his  conscience." 

" 1  hope  he  does  turn  over  a  new  leaf.  He 
doesn't  appear  such  a  bad  fellow  at  heart." 

"You  are  right.  I  suppose  some  men  get  bad 
out  here  simply  because  they  haven't  any  good 
example  to  follow.  They  cut  loose  from  their 
old  associates  and  fall  in  with  the  wrong  sort." 

"That's  just  it,  and  it's  so  much  easier  to 
find  the  wrong  sort  than  the  right  sort.  Some 
men  think  life  altogether  too  slow  unless  they 
are  doing  something  against  the  law." 

Allen,  as  he  rested,  could  not  help  but  think 
of  his  two  brothers.  What  were  Chet  and  Paul 
doing?  He  sincerely  trusted  all  was  going  well 
with  them. 

* '  They  ought  to  be  old  enough  to  take  care 
of  themselves,"  said  Noel.  "You  mustn't  worry 
too  much  on  their  account." 


A   BUFFALO  STAMPEDE  231 

"Well,  we  have  to  be  on  guard  out  here 
night  and  day,  Noel.  You  really  don't  know 
who  to  trust." 

"Oh,    I    know    that." 

"Just  think  of  what  my  uncle  has  suffered, 
and  of  what  he  may  be  suffering  this  minute. 
It  is  enough  to  make  one's  blood  boil!" 

"It  may  not  be  as  bad  as  you  imagine,  Allen. 
Your  uncle  mast  know  a  thing  or  two." 

"  Of  course,  but  one  man  can't  do  much  against 
three  or  four,  or  half  a  dozen.  Those  rascals 
will  do  all  in  their  power  to  bring  him  to 
terms,  rest  assured  of  that." 

"  Well,  I  am  willing  to  push  on  at  any  time  you 
say." 

"I'll  push  on  as  fast  as  Slavin  can  travel.  I 
can't  do  more  than  that.  If  he  caves  in  on  our 
hands  we'll  have  no  means  of  finding  out  anything 
more  about  my  uncle's  whereabouts." 

"He  can't  be  shamming,   can  he?" 

"Not  a  bit  of  it.  He  was  caught  under  the 
tree  and  I  wouldn't  have  been  in  his  position  for  a 
thousand  dollars." 

"Then  don't  push  him  any  harder  than  you 
dare.  To  me  he  looks  like  a  fellow  who  might  be 
getting  a  fever." 


232        THREE  YOUNG  RANCHMEN 

"I  noticed  that.  But  I  hope  he  doesn't,"  con 
cluded  Allen. 

But  the  fever  was  coming  and  by  nightfall  all 
of  the  others  saw  that  Slavin  was  in  a  bad  way. 
He  sat  up  and  began  to  talk  wildly. 

"Let  me  go!  Take  the  tree  from  me!"  he 
cried.  "I  haven't  got  the  money!  Oh,  how  do 
ye  do  Mr.  Winthrop.  Glad  to  see  me,  eh?  And 
how  is  that  new  mine,  an'  what  kind  of  a  trade 
are  ye  goin'  to  make  with  Captain  Grady,  eh? 
Ha  !  ha  !  The  cave  by  the  seven  pines  !  A  good 
hiding  place,  the  seven  pines!  Let  me  go,  the 
tree  is  crushing  me !  "  And  then  he  fell  back 
almost  exhausted. 

"  He  won't  travel  any  more,  not  jes'  yet,"  said 
Watson,  soberly.  "He's  up  ag'in  a  long  spell  o' 
sickness." 

"Did  you  hear  what  he  said  about  Captain 
Grady?"  asked  Allen. 

"I  did.  He  must  be  in  this  game,  too.  An' 
the  seven  pines." 

"  The  cave  must  be  at  a  place  called  the  seven 
pines,"  said  Noel. 

"If  it  is  I  think  I  know  the  spot,"  answered 
Ike  Watson.  "I  ran  across  'em  seven  pines  two 
years  ago.  They  air  about  two  miles  from  here, 


A   BUFFALO   STAMPEDE  233 

on  the  other  side  o'  the  mountain.     We'll  have  ter 
go  around  ter  git  ter  'em." 

An  hour  later  Allen  and  Watson  left  Slavin  in 
Noel  Urner's  care  and  struck  out  for  the  place  on 
the  other  side  of  the  mountain  which  the  old 
hunter  had  mentioned. 


CHAPTER   XXIX. 
THE  LONG  LOST  FOUND 

BEFORE  leaving  camp  both  Allen  and  Ike 
Watson  saw  to  it  that  their  weapons  were 
in  good  condition  and  ready  for  immediate  use. 

"  No  tellin'  what  we  may  run  up  ag'inst,"  said 
the  old  hunter. 

"  Well,  I  am  ready  to  fight,  if  it  comes  to  that," 
returned  Allen,  grimly.  '*  But  I  would  rather 
take  the  enemy  by  surprise." 

"Thet  would  be  the  best  way,  Allen.  But 
fust  we  must  locate  thet  cave." 

The  ride  around  the  mountain  was  a  rather  try 
ing  one  and  from  a  gallop  they  had  to  slow  down 
to  a  walk.  In  some  spots  the  trail  was  much  cut 
up  and  the  mud  was  deep,  while  in  others  they 
had  to  pick  their  way  over  rocks  which  were  as 
smooth  as  they  were  dangerous. 

"Look  thar,"  said  Watson,  as  he  paused  on  a 
spur  of  the  rocks.  "  Thar's  a  tumble  fer  ye!  " 

He  pointed  to  a  canyon  all  of  five  hundred  feet 
(234) 


THE  LONG  LOST  FOUND  235 

deep  and  Allen  had  to  draw  back  after  looking 
into  the  awful  depth. 

"  If  a  fellow  should  tumble  here  he  would  never 
live  to  tell  it,"  said  the  young  ranchman.  "This 
would  be  a  bad  trail  to  follow  in  the  dark." 

Moving  away  from  the  spur  of  rocks  overlook 
ing  the  canyon,  they  turned  to  the  northwest  and 
plunged  through  a  forest  of  cedar  and  hemlock. 
Here  the  wild  birds  were  numerous  and  Allen  was 
tempted  to  bring  some  of  them  down  with  his 
gun,  but  Watson  demurred. 

"No  use  o'  makin'  too  much  noise,"  he  ex 
plained.  "  Remember,  somebody  may  be  on  guard 
up  at  thet  cave." 

*'Slavin  said  he  thought  only  an  old  woman 
had  been  left  in  charge  —  a  woman  who  claimed 
to  be  Darry  Nodley's  wife." 

"  Didn't  know  as   how  thet  rascal  hed  a  wife." 

"  That  is  what  Slavin  said." 

"It  might  be  the  truth,  and  then  ag'in,  it 
might  not.  We  don't  want  ter  believe  too  much, 
Allen." 

"I  agree  with  you,  Ike.  But  I  think  Slavin 
was  really  anxious  to  help  us  after  we  did  him  that 
good  turn." 

The  old  hunter  shrugged  his  shoulders.     "Per- 


236        THREE  YOUNG  RANCHMEN 

haps;  but  I've  seen  too  much  foul  play  in  my  time 
ter  trust  everybody.  Thar  may  be  a  woman  up 
thar,  an'  thar  may  be  some  men-folks  too." 

So  the  talk  ran  on  and  they  gradually  drew 
closer  to  where  the  old  hunter  had  once  seen  the 
seven  pine  trees.  To  one  not  used  to  a  life  in 
the  open,  to  remember  such  a  locality  after  two 
years'  absence  would  have  been  difficult,  but  it 
was  not  so  with  Ike  Watson. 

"  Can't  fool  me  on  a  thing  like  this,"  he  said, 
flatly.  **  Onct  I  see  a  place  it  hangs  in  my  mind 
forever.  Same  way  with  a  trail.  Why  onct  I 
struck  a  trail  in  the  south  o'  the  State,  kind  o' 
a  mixed  trail  too.  I  didn't  see  thet  trail  fer  nigh 
onto  six  years,  but  when  I  did  see  it  ag'in  I  knew 
it  jes'  as  quick  as  I  clapped  eyes  on  it." 

"  I  believe  you,"  replied  the  young  ranchman. 
"You  have  an  eye  like  a  hawk,"  and  in  that 
Allen  was  right. 

The  sun  was  sinking  low  in  the  west  when 
they  came  out  of  a  defile  in  the  rocks  and  the  old 
hunter  pointed  to  a  valley  on  the  opposite  side  of 
the  foothills  below  them. 

"Do  ye  see  them,  over  thar?"  he  questioned, 

Allen  gave  a  long  look. 

"I  do  —  seven  pines,  sure  enough!" 


THE  LONG  LOST  FOUND  237 

tkTold  ye  I'd  remember  the  spot!  "cried  Wat 
son,  triumphantly. 

"But  where  is  the  cave?"  went  on  the  young 
ranchman. 

"Like  as  not  it's  close  by.  Come,  before  the 
sun  goes  down  an'  it  gits  too  dark." 

Soon  they  were  making  their  way  along  the 
foothills  at  the  lower  side  of  the  mountain.  They 
had  to  pass  through  considerable  brush  and  while 
they  were  doing  this  Watson  suddenly  halted  and 
pointed  to  his  side. 

"What  is  it?"  asked  Allen,  as  he  also  halted. 

"If  thet  ain't  a  putty  fresh  trail  then  I  miss 
my  guess  " 

"It    does    look    fresh,    Ike." 

"Ain't  over  twenty-four  hours  old,  nohow," 
went  on  the  old  hunter.  "Allen,  I  reckon  we 
have  struck  it  about  right." 

"But    I    see    nothing   of   a    cave." 

"Let  us  follow  the  trail.  The  cave  may  not 
be  persackly  by  the  pines  but  in  sight  o'  them, 
do  ye  see?" 

"I    do." 

"  Thet  trail  is  almost  in  the  direction  I  wuz 
goin',"  continued  Watson.  "So  we  won't  miss 
much  if  we  go  wrong.  Forward  it  is!" 


238        THREE  YOUNG  RANCHMEN 

And  again  they  struck  out.  this  time  with 
increased  confidence.  As  they  progressed  the 
old  hunter  examined  the  hoof  marks  from  time 
to  time  and  said  he  was  certain  two  horsemen 
had  passed  that  way 

But  just  as  they  were  coming  to  the  end  of 
the  foothills  they  reached  a  mountain  water  course 
and  here  the  trail  came  to  an  abrupt  end. 

"We  are  stumped  now,"  said  Allen,  after  both 
had  crossed  to  the  other  side  of  the  stream. 

"  I  ain't  a-givin'  up  jes'  yet,"  answered  Wat 
son. 

"Oh,  neither  am  I.  But  where  has  the  trail 
gone  to? '' 

"Let  us  move  down  the  stream  a  bit,"  sug 
gested  the  old  hunter.  "I  don't  think  the  hoss- 
men  who  made  thet  trail  would  stick  ter  the 
water  very  long." 

On  they  went  once  more,  and  now  in  silence, 
for  both  felt  that  the  cave  might  be  close  at 
hand.  The  seven  pines  were  still  in  view,  stand 
ing  upon  a  hillock  by  themselves. 

At  last  they  came  to  a  spot  where  the  water 
course  broadened  out  into  a  tiny  lake.  At  this 
point  there  was  another  brook,  coming  down 
from  a  spring  upon  the  hillside. 


THE  LONG  LOST  FOUND  239 

"The  trail!"  cried  Allen,  presently,  and 
pointed  it  out. 

"Right  ye  air,  Allen,"  returned  Watson. 
"An'  I  reckon  we  air  gittin'  close  ter  the  end 
on  it  too,"  he  added  suggestively. 

But  little  more  was  said  and  they  quickly  fol 
lowed  the  trail  up  to  where  a  wall  of  rocks 
arose,  standing  boldly  out  from  the  foothills  and 
facing  the  seven  pines. 

"  If  I  ain't  mistaken  thar's  a  cave  over  yonder," 
whispered  Watson,  pointing  with  his  hand. 

"Forward  we  go!"  cried  Allen,  and  dashed 
ahead,  with  his  weapon  ready  for  use.  Two 
minutes  later  a  turn  of  the  trail  brought  them 
into  plain  view  of  a  large  cave  in  the  cliff 
side. 

"Eureka!  "  began  Watson,  when  Allen  checked 
his  speech. 

"  Somebody  is  coming  !  "  he  whispered.  "  A 
woman  !  Get  behind  the  brush!  " 

He  led  the  way  and  Watson  followed,  and  both 
waited  with  bated  breath.  Presently  a  woman 
passed  them,  carrying  an  empty  water  bucket. 
She  was  bound  for  the  spring  just  mentioned. 

"That  must  be  the  woman  Slavin  mentioned," 
went  on  Allen,  in  a  low  voice. 


240        THREE  YOUNG  RANCHMEN 

"Like  as  not,"  whispered  the  old  hunter  in 
return.  "  Shall  we  capture  her?  " 

"  No  —  wait." 

They  waited  and  presently  the  woman  came  back 
with  the  bucket  full  of  water.  She  entered  the 
cavern  without  looking  around  her. 

'  Let  us  follow  her  on  foot,"  suggested  Allen, 
and  they  tied  up  their  horses.  Soon  the  entrance 
to  the  cave  was  gained  and  they  peered  inside. 

For  the  moment  they  could  see  but  little,  for 
there  was  only  a  low  fire  burning  in  the  cavern. 
Then  of  a  sudden  Allen  let  out  a  wild  cry : 

"Look!  look!  There  is  my  Uncle  Barnaby, 
tied  fast  to  the  rear  wall !  ' ' 


CHAPTER    XXX. 

TOGETHER  AT  LAST  —  CONCLUSION 

ALLEN  spoke  the  truth.  There,  tied  by  strong 
ropes  to  a  projecting  rock,  was  the  uncle 
of  the  Winthrop  boys. 

His  face  was  pale  and  haggard,  showing  he  had 
suffered  much  since  his  confinement. 

Forgetting  the    woman,  Allen  dashed  forward. 

"Uncle  Barnaby!  How  glad  I  am  that  we 
have  found  you!  "  he  cried  loudly. 

"Who  is  that?"  The  prisoner  sprang  up 
from  where  he  was  resting.  "  Allen  !  " 

"Yes,  uncle!      Are  you  not  glad  to   see   me?" 

"  Glad  is  not  a  strong  enough  word,  my  boy!  " 
was  the  reply  from  Barnaby  Winthrop,  and  as  soon 
as  Allen  had  released  him  he  caught  his  nephew 
in  his  arms.  "  I  was  praying  to  be  rescued." 

"  They  have  not  treated  you  well,  I  can  see 
that,  uncle." 

'  *  They  have  used  me  worse  than  a  dog.  They 
wanted  to  get  my  secret  from  me,  and  used  every 
means  in  their  power  to  accomplish  their  purpose." 
16  (241) 


342        THREE  YOUNG  RANCHMEN 

"  But  they  did  not  succeed,   did  they?  " 

"No.  I  told  them  I  would  die  rather  than  al 
low  the  scoundrels  to  get  rich  through  my  instru 
mentality." 

A  scuffle  behind  them  stopped  the  conversation. 
Ike  Watson  was  trying  to  secure  the  woman,  who 
was  struggling  desperately  to  get  away. 

By  biting  and  scratching  the  desperate  female 
at  last  freed  herself  from  the  old  hunter's  grasp. 
Then  she  bounded  for  the  cave  entrance.  Watson 
aimed  his  gun  at  her  and  then  lowered  the  weapon. 

44  Reckon  I  won't,"  he  drawled.  "Never  did 
shoot  at  a  woman,  an'  I'm  too  old  ter  begin  now. 
She  don't  count,  anyhow!  " 

And  thus  the  woman  was  allowed  to  escape. 
She  lost  no  time  in  quitting  the  vicinity. 

The  old  hunter  shook  hands  warmly  with  Bar- 
naby  Winthrop,  who  was  profuse  in  his  thanks 
to  Watson  for  what  he  had  accomplished. 

"You  shall  lose  nothing  by  what  you  have 
done,  Ike,"  he  said.  "Just  wait  till  I  open  up 
that  new  claim." 

"  Speaking  of  the  claim,  there  is  somebody 
else  to  see  you,"  began  Allen,  when  the  talk 
was  interrupted  by  the  clattering  of  horses'  hoofs 
on  the  rocks  outside. 


TOGETHER   AT  LAST  — CONCLUSION  243 

"Saul  Mangle  and  Darry  Nodley  !"  exclaimed 
Allen,  as  he  glanced  down  the  stony  trail.  "They 
are  coming  here,  too!  " 

"They  belong  to  the  gang,"  said  Barnaby 
Winthrop. 

"  Reckon  ez  how  we  can  receive  'em  all  right," 
put  in  Ike  Watson,  dryly. 

As  quickly  as  possible  Barnaby  Winthrop  was 
provided  with  firearms. 

"My  gracious!  " 

It  was  Allen  who  let  out  the  cry,  loud  enough 
for  those  who  were  approaching  to  hear. 

"What's   up?"  asked  his  uncle. 

"Look   back  of  them." 

All  did  so,  and  then  a  shout  went  up.  There 
only  a  few  hundred  yards  to  the  rear,  were 
Chet  and  Paul,  trying  their  best  to  run  down 
the  horse  thieves,  whom  they  had  discovered  but 
a  short  five  minutes  before. 

"We've  got  'em  corralled!"  said  Watson, 
grimly. 

"Look,  there  is  Jack  Blowfen,  too!"  ejacu 
lated  Allen,  as  the  cowboy  also  came  into  view. 

"Halt!  " 

Ike  Watson  uttered  the  command, 

He  ran  into  the  open,   followed  by  the    others. 


244        THREE  YOUNG  RANCHMEN 

A  shout  went  up  from  Saul  Mangle  and  Darry 
Nodley,  and  then  another  from  those  in  the  rear. 

"There  is  Allen!  " 

4 'There  is  Uncle  Barnaby  !  " 

"  Capture  the  horse  thieves  !  " 

The  two  rascals  were  bewildered  and  paused, 
not  knowing  which  way  to  turn. 

They  were  quickly  surrounded,  and  it  was  old 
Ike  Watson  who  commanded  them  to  throw  down 
their  weapons. 

At  first  they  felt  inclined  to  refuse,  but  a  glance 
at  the  stern  faces  about  them  caused  them  to  comply. 

"The  jig  is  up!"  muttered  Saul  Mangle,  and 
Nodley  groaned  inwardly. 

There  was  another  joyous  greeting  between  uncle 
and  nephews  when  Paul  and  Chet  rode  up. 

In  the  meanwhile  Jack  Blowfen  assisted  Ike 
Watson  in  making  prisoners  of  Mangle  and 
Nodley.  The  latter  asked  for  his  wife  and  seemed 
disappointed  to  learn  she  could  not  share  his 
captivity. 

Allen  and  Barnaby  Winthrop  were  glad  to  learn 
that  Captain  Grady  was  a  prisoner. 

**  When  I  am  done  with  him  I  warrant  he'll  not 
give  any  of  us  further  trouble,"  said  the  uncle  of 
the  boys. 


TOGETHER  AT  LAST  — CONCLUSION  245 

Before  the  party  left  the  vicinity,  Saul  Mangle 
and  Nodley  were  searched,  and  from  them  were 
taken  the  seven  hundred  dollars  which  had  been 
stolen  from  the  ranch  home,  as  related  at  the  be 
ginning  of  this  story. 

The  prisoners  were  removed  to  Daddy  Wam- 
pole's  hotel,  and  later  on  were  placed  in  the  hands 
of  the  sheriff.  The  sheriff  also  took  into  custody 
Captain  Hank  Grady  and  Lou  Bluckburn.  The 
colored  man,  Jeff  Jones,  was,  by  the  advice  of  Chet 
and  Paul,  allowed  to  go  his  own  way  on  promise 
to  turn  over  a  new  leaf.  Slavin  was  taken  to  a 
hospital  and  later  on  let  go. 

Several  years  have  passed  since  the  events  above 
recorded  took  place.  In  that  period  of  time  many 
important  changes  have  occurred. 

The  horse  thieves  and  would-be  claim  stealers 
were  all  duly  tried  according  to  law,  and  are  now 
serving  various  terms  of  imprisonment.  The  ranch 
belonging  to  Captain  Grady  was  confiscated  by 
creditors  from  Deadwood  and  sold  to  Barnaby 
Winthrop,  who  turned  it  over  to  the  three  boys  to 
add  to  the  ranch  already  belonging  to  them. 

The  Winthrop  mine  is  now  in  operation  and 
is  paying  very  well.  It  is  managed  by  Bar 
naby  Winthrop  himself,  and  Noel  Urner  owm 


246        THREE  YOUNG  RANCHMEN 

a   large   block    of   stock,   which   he    considers    the 
best    investment    he   ever   made. 

Caleb  Dottery  and  Jack  Blowfen  manage  the 
ranch  jointly  in  connection  with  their  former 
work,  doing  this  on  shares  for  the  Winthrop 
boys.  As  for  old  Ike  Watson,  he  still  roams 
the  hills  and  mountains.-  He  can  have  a  good 
home  with  Barnaby  Winthrop  any  time  he  wishes, 
but  says  he  is  not  yet  ready  to  settle  down. 

And  Allen,  Paul,  and  Chet?  The  three  boys 
are  all  in  San  Francisco.  Allen  is  in  college, 
and  his  two  brothers  are  preparing  to  follow 
at  a  well-known  private  school.  ^.llen  is  to 
be  a  lawyer,  and  privately  has  a  notion  he  may 
enter  politics  as  the  State  of  Idaho  grows  in 
importance.  Paul  is  inclined  to  be  a  doctor. 
Chet  has  not  yet  settled  the  question  of  a  future 
occupation. 

"I  think  I'll  go  in  with  Uncle  Barnaby," 
he  said  a  few  days  ago.  i4I  love  the  mountains 
too  well  to  stick  in  any  city.  I'll  become  a 
mine  owner  and  speculator  in  claims  and  cattle." 

They  are  all  happy  together,  and,  come  what 
may,  will  never  forget  their  adventures  when 
they  were  left  alone  on  the  ranch  to  combat 
their  many  unknown  enemies. 


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